Warriors: A New Age: New Beginnigns
by Hawkeh
Summary: Soon after Firestar dies, the four Clans are forced to move, again. Soon after, four rouges, Air, Earth, Fire, and Water claim the terittories the old Clans called home.These rouges formed Clans, after themselves, all untied under StarClan. R & R
1. Allegencies

**New Age: New Beginnings**

**FIRECLAN :**

**Leader: **Russetstar: ginger she-cat with a white muzzle

**Deputy: **Ringtail: tabby tom with a ringed tail

Apprentice: Dustpaw

**Medicine Cat: **Cinderleaf: dark gray tabby she-cat

**Warriors: **Tigerfoot: dark tabby tom

Apprentice: Graypaw

Moss-streak: tortoiseshell she-cat

Apprentice: Flamepaw

Rippedwind: tabby tom

Apprentice: Moonpaw

Reedclaw: black and white tom

Apprentice: Ruffpaw

Coalfur: sleek gray-black tom

Frostclaw: snow white she-cat

Hawkflight: dark tabby tom

Apprentice: Cloudpaw

Darkcloud: black tabby tom with a light brown under belly

Apprentice: Sandpaw

Thunderwhisker: tall gray tabby tom

Apprentice: Redpaw

**Apprentices: **Dustpaw: light brown tom

Cloudpaw: lithe white she-cat

Graypaw: ash gray tom

Flamepaw: dark ginger tabby she-cat

Moonpaw: silver-gray tabby tom

Ruffpaw: brown tabby tom

Sandpaw: light ginger she-cat

Redpaw: ginger tabby tom

**Queens: **Fireflower: ginger she-cat mother of Hawkflight's kits.

Kits: Sparkkit(ginger tom)

Flarekit(light ginger tabby she-kit)

Nightwind: black she-cat with white paws. Mother to Reedclaw's kits

Kits: Blackkit(black she-kit)

Runningkit(lithe black and white tom)

Mousewhisker: brown tabby. Mother of Rippedwind's kits

Kits: Spotkit(brown she-kit with white spots)

Leafkit(brown tabby tom)

Icewhisker: ice white she-cat. Mother of Thunderwhisker's kits

Kits: Snowkit(white she-kit)

Coldkit(white tom)

Frostkit(snow white tom)

Mistywind: pregnant gray she-cat with white paws.

**Elders: **Tawnycloud: tortoiseshell she-cat. Youngest elder

Stumpfoot: gray tom with a twisted paw

One-eye: pale white she-cat

One-ear: black tom

**EARTHCLAN:**

**Leader: **Shadestar: dark brown tabby tom

**Deputy: **Silverlilly: silver tabby tom

Apprentice: Clawpaw

**Medicine Cat: **Flashleaf: silver she-cat

**Warriors: **Rowanflight: ginger tom

Apprentice: Wavepaw

Articrose: silver-gray she-cat

Apprentice: Squirrelpaw

Rainfur: dark gray tom with blue eyes

Apprentice: Oakpaw

**Queens:** Sandwing: ginger she-cat. Mother to Owlkit, Aspenkit, and Shadowkit.

**Elders: **Blackcloud: elderly black she-cat

**AIRCLAN **

**Leader: **Bramblestar: dark tabby tom

**Deputy: **Sunriver: ginger tom with white paws

Apprentice: Brackenpaw

**Medicine Cat: **Sorrel-leaf: tortoiseshell and white she-cat

**Warriors: **Stonefire: tall gray tabby tom

Flinttail: tall gray tom

Apprentice: Mosspaw

**Queens: **Rosemaryeyes: pale light tabby with soft blue eyes. Mother of Artickit, Oak-kit, and Summerkit

**WATERCLAN**

**Leader: **Tawnystar: tawny colored tabby she-cat

**Deputy: **Oaktalon: light tabby tom

Apprentice: Ripplepaw

**Medicine Cat :**Woodfoot: brown tabby tom

Apprentice: Littlepaw

**Warriors: **Stormtail: dark gray tom

Apprentice: Spottedpaw

Grayheart: gray she-cat

Apprentice: Featherpaw

Blackfrost: midnight black tom

**Queens: **Shadowwater: gray she-cat with black paws. Mother of Springkit, Robinkit, and Swiftkit.

**Cats Outside the Clans:**

Stone: dark gray rouge

Felix: black loner living at the horseplace.

**STARCLAN:**

**Great leaders: **Waterstar: tall dark gray tom;

Firestar: dark ginger tabby she-cat; FireClan

Airstar: young snow white she-cat with one blue eye and one green eye; AirClan

Earthstar: dark brown tabby tom; EarthClan

**Honorable Deputies:**

Dustwind: muscular light brown tabby tom; WaterClan

Ambereyes: light ginger she-cat; FireClan

Ashmask: ash gray tom; FireClan

Aspenfoot: tall light brown tabby she-cat; AirClan

Torneyes: small tabby tom with a mask of scars; EarthClan

**Faithful Medicine Cats: **

Webnose: dark gray tom; WaterClan

Thistleeyes: dark tabby she-cat; WaterClan

Quietleaf: silver tabby she-cat; FireClan

Moonwind: silver white tabby tom; AirClan

Reednose: black and white she-cat; AirClan

Raggedrose: tabby she-cat with many battle scars; EarthClan

**Noble warriors: **

Basilfeather: light tabby she-cat; AirClan

Grapefeather: dark gray-blue tom; WaterClan

Silverclaw: light silver gray she-cat; FireClan

Silerstreak: light brown tom; EarthClan

Starstone: light gray she-cat; WaterClan

Howllingrain: tabby tom; EarthClan

Tallfoot: black and white tom; AirClan

Tawnylily: tawny colored she-cat; FireClan

**Bold Apprentices:**

Golenpaw: light ginger she-cat; AirClan

Spiderpaw: black and brown tom; FireClan

Lepordpaw: dappled tom; WaterClan

Ceaderpaw: dark gray tom; AirClan

Tulippaw: light gray she-cat; EarthClan

Inkpaw: dark gray-blue tom; EarthClan

Mistypaw: misty gray she-cat; WaterClan

**Protective Queens:**

Mahoganytail: dark ginger tabby; EarthClan

Dawnheart: tawny tabby; WaterClan

Flareleaf: ginger tabby; FireClan

Flamestorm: dark ginger tabby; FireClan

Midnightstream: black she-cat; EarthClan

Hazelspot: brown tabby; AirClan

Specklerain: light tabby; WaterClan

Blackeyes: white she-cat with a black mask; AirClan

**Brave Kits**:

Firekit; ginger tabby tom; FireClan

Twistedkit: black and tawny tom with a twisted paw; AirClan

Boulderkit: gray tom; EarthClan

Rainkit: gray tabby she-kit; FireClan

Redkit: dark ginger tabby she-kit; WaterClan

Barkkit: molted she-kit; EarthClan

Dapplekit: dappled tabby she-kit; FireClan

Ivykit: cream white she-kit; EarthClan

Cherrykit: light ginger she-kit; WaterClan

Swiftkit: black and white she-kit; AirClan

Mistykit: gray she-kit; AirClan

Solarkit: ginger tom; WaterClan

**Wise Elders:**

Silverbelly: silvery grayish she-cat; WaterClan

Stonefrost: gray tabby tom; EarthClan

Mossbrook: molted tabby she-cat; FireClan

Darkhawk: dark brown tabby tom; AirClan

Nightmoon: black tom; AirClan

Longclaw: tabby tom; FireClan

Stormstump: dark gray tom; WaterClan

Shadowfoot: black she-cat; EarthClan


	2. Proulge

Prologue:

A dark shadow padded beside a crystal pool. Another shadow appeared not long after, watching the first gaze into the pool.

"Firestar," the first shadow said, turning to the second.

"What, Waterstar?" the shadow had dissolved, revealing a dark gray tom and a ginger she-cat.

"It is nearing Half-Moon." Waterstar meowed, his eyes soft. _ Does she still feel the same about me as I feel about her? _He thought.

"All cats can see that, Waterstar." Meowed a dark brown tom.

"And all can see that your grandson is doing a terrible job leading your Clan, Earthstar. " Firestar mewed to the tom. She flicked her tail in the direction of a dark shadow on the other side of the pool.

"Anyway, as I was saying before Earthstar interrupted, it is half moon tonight, the night of the medicine cat gathering." By this time, another tom cat had joined them.

"Airstar, so nice of you to join us. " Firestar said, calmly, as if he were interrupting.

"Again, our ancestors have spoken, and this time it is three kits from each Clan." Waterstar said his mew low.

"So this time it involves all of the Clans?" Earthstar's mew was irritated.

"Yes, Earthstar." Firestar mewed, "these kits will be triplets."

"Why triplets?" Airstar mewed, nervous.

"So they can face their destinies." Waterstar meowed, "Glory shall strike one, one shall become closer to us than ever before, but the other, will join forces, to destroy the Clans, if their Clans cannot destroy them first. "

"When do we get to notify our Clans?" a small tabby kit asked, bouncing up and down, "And who will these cats be?"

"I was getting to that, Dapplekit." Firestar said to the she-kit. "From FireClan, Icewhisker's kits. However, one's fate is leaning on the border of life and death." the ginger she-cat meowed, touching her nose to the pool next to her.

"From WaterClan, Shadowwater's kits will face their destinies." Waterstar said, his nose rippling the pool, the image of the white she-cat that had been Firestar's choice disappeared, and an image of a gray she-cat appeared. A dark she-cat in the shadows gasped. "Waterstar, how could you?" she hissed.

"I am sorry, Basilfeather." Waterstar meowed, "as I can tell, you too have seen what lies for her…my choice will lie on the boarder of death, and may join us early. He yowled to the clearing of cats.

"From AirClan," A silver white tabby tom meowed "Airstar is it okay if I announce your chosen cat?"

"Yes Moonwind," Airstar's soft mew drifted over the pool, "It is."

"Thank you." Moonwind meowed. "The cat chosen from AirClan is Rosemaryeyes." Moonwind dipped his black nose into the pool, revealing a pale light tabby.

"Earthstar," a tabby she-cat with many battle scars meowed, "Have you decided on the queen from your Clan?"

"Yes I have, Raggedrose," the sparkling dark tabby tom said, stepping up to the pool as the image of the pale tabby vanished. "EarthClan's chosen queen is Sandwing." He meowed.

"Great and noble cats of StarClan." A soft spoken silver she-cat said softly, stepping up to a tall rock. "The prophecy has become clearer…"

"Please elaborate, Quietleaf." Firestar said, her frost blue gaze focused on the she-cat.

"The spirits of old will once be new, but not of their origins. Fire will meet Earth, Earth will meet Water, Air will meet Fire, and Water will meet Air." The she-cat said, her soft voice echoing through the cave around the pool.

"Who exactly will follow a new path?" a black tom asked, his gaze turning to the silver medicine cat, who looked like she had been bitten by an adder.

"Who else do you expect, Nightmoon?" Quietleaf hissed, "The leaders, Waterstar, Airstar, Firestar, and Earthstar."

"Who will inherit the spirits?" a dark tabby asked.

"One of the prophecy kits in each Clan, Darkhawk." Quietleaf meowed. "However, they will each follow a different path. "

"When shall we announce this?" a molted black and tawny tom asked.

"Half moon, Twistedkit." Firestar mewed.


	3. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Snowkit' snow white pelt flashed among the branches of the FireClan nursery. She was looking for her brothers, Coldkit and Frostkit. She paused for a minute, hoping that she could scent them, but there was nothing. She continued toward the exit, her nose to the ground. Suddenly, a strong scent washed over Snowkit, as the she-kit bumped into something or someone strong, but not taller than her. _Mousedung._ She thought as she looked up, seeing her brother, Coldkit.

"Watch where you're going, Snowkit." Coldkit hissed, "And while you're at it, why don't you stuff your head in a mouse hole."

"Coldkit, Russetstar says she wants you out by the Highledge." A black she-kit mewed, tartly. "You too, Snowkit." She paused, "Where is Frostkit?" But Snowkit only shrugged her shoulders.

Padding out of the nursery, Snowkit saw that the Clan had gathered for a meeting. She saw her brother, Frostkit, sitting tall and proud, but the small tom looked only half his age. Snowkit padded past a snow white she-cat, who put her tail out in front of the two white kits. "Snowkit, Coldkit, where do you think you're going?" the sound of her mother's voice drifted down to Snowkit's ears.

"Icewhisker," Coldkit protested, "we want to sit with Frostkit." His dark blue eyes were irritated, frustrated that his mother was blocking him from finally sitting in the front for a Clan meeting.

"You're not becoming apprentices until every speck of dirt is out of your pelt." She mewed sternly.

Suddenly, a light tabby tom rushed into the camp, his eyes wide, he stopped, blood creeping out of a wide gash on his shoulder.

A dark ginger she-cat leapt off the Highledge. "What is wrong Dustpaw?" she meowed.

"It is Cloudpaw," he whispered. "She didn't make it."

Snowkit watched as Icewhisker looked up from washing Coldkit's pelt as a gray tom and the tabby deputy brought a white lithe, limp, body back to camp.

"We'll mourn her after the ceremonies." Russetstar said, watching the two warriors rest the white she-cat's head at the foot of the Highledge.

"Cats of FireClan," Russetstar yowled, leaping back on top of the Highledge, "while we mourn the loss of Cloudpaw, there is business that we must attain to. Snowkit, Frostkit, Coldkit, you have reached your sixth moon; it is time that you become apprentices. By making apprentices, it shows that our Clan is strong. Snowkit, Coldkit, Frostkit, do you promise to learn the warrior code and protect your Clan with your life and obey your mentor?" The question was strong, but there was no doubt in the three kit's minds.

"I do." The three echoed in unison.

"Then, from this day forward, until she has earned her warrior name, Snowkit will be known as Snowpaw for her snow white pelt."

"Snowpaw, Snowpaw." The Clan chanted.

"Frostclaw," Russetstar meowed, quieting the chant, "You are a brave and loyal warrior and have proven that many a time. Your mentor Ambereyes has taught you well. Please pass on your knowledge and your bravery to this apprentice."

"Yes, Russetstar." Frostclaw mewed loudly.

"Coldkit, you are known for your still birth, and your miraculous return to your Clan." Russetstar meowed, her dark blue eyes gazing down at Coldkit, "Now, from this day forward, until he has earned his warrior name, he shall be known as Coldpaw." Russetstar's voice echoed through the hollow.

"Coldpaw, Coldpaw." The Clan chanted again.

"Hawkflight, while you are still mourning the loss of your previous apprentice, Cloudpaw, you are known for your bravery and kindness." Russetstar meowed to a dark tabby tom, "Your mentor, Longclaw, has taught you well. Please pass on your knowledge and kindness to this apprentice as his mentor."

"I will, Russetstar." Hawkflight meowed, as he stepped up to touch noses with his apprentice.

"That leaves Frostkit." Snowpaw heard Russetstar whisper. "Frostkit, you are known for a pelt the color of a frost covered tundra. For this reason, until you have earned your warrior name, you shall be known as Frostpaw. Coalfur, your mentor, now known as Stumpfoot, has taught you humility as well as respect, please pass on all your knowledge and respect to Frostpaw, as you train him to be a warrior of this Clan." Russetstar announced.

"I will, Russetstar." Coalfur meowed as the chants began to pick up.

"Russetstar," Thunderwhisker's muscular gray frame pushed up to the front of the Highledge from where he had been sitting with his mate. "What about Cloudpaw?"

"Our Clan has gathered here not only to welcome three kits to the path to warriorhood, but we have gathered here to mourn a Clan member's passing onto the path of StarClan. Cloudpaw was a brave and respectful apprentice that FireClan was proud of. I ask StarClan to welcome her spirit into their ranks." Russetstar meowed, tilting her head to Silverpelt above them.

Snowpaw watched as her mother and father, Thunderwhisker, and Hawkflight padded over toward Cloudpaw's motionless body.

Frostpaw watched as Thunderwhisker reminded Russetstar about Cloudpaw's body. _How could she forget? _He wondered to himself. Sure, he may be small, but he was just a normal apprentice, just like his siblings. "I think we are supposed to go up there." He whispered to Snowpaw, standing up. He followed his parents. He'd seen Cloudpaw just the day before, and she was saying something to Icewhisker about how she was ready for her warrior's ceremony, and how she was going to be the greatest warrior of all time. _It's a shame she never became a warrior._ He thought, his one green eye 

looking at the body of the she-cat that was once his older sister. He noticed that Dustpaw was also coming over. "How did she die?" Frostpaw asked, padding up to Dustpaw.

The light brown tabby tom looked at the smaller apprentice. "She was killed by a fox." He whispered, his voice betraying the shock of losing one of his denmates.

Frostpaw padded over to Cloudpaw's body. He watched as the Clan passed by Cloudpaw, each cat whispering something in her unhearing ear. Finally all the cats had disappeared into their dens; others had left the camp for the moonhigh patrol. He watched as Coldpaw padded toward the apprentice den, ready to get a good night sleep, along with Snowpaw. His siblings weren't as close as he was with his older sister, but that didn't mean that they could just skip holing a vigil for her. The white tom lied down in between his mother and his father, touching his nose into her cold pelt.

Frostpaw woke up, blinking his blue and green eyes. He was not in the FireClan camp anymore. Where am I. he wondered. Suddenly, he saw a she-cat the color of the clouds, and a snow white tom.

"Welcome Frostpaw." The she-cat's familiar voice reached his ears.

"Cloudpaw." He mewed happily. Suddenly, shadows of cats formed behind the three white cats. Scents drifted from the shadows. The scent of FireClan was closest.

Welcome to StarClan, Frostpaw." A ginger she-cat mewed, dipping her head to the tom that mirrored the small apprentice.

"Who are you?" Frostpaw asked, his mew uncertain.

"I was called Firestar by your Clan." The ginger cat meowed. She looked at the white tom, who was more of a see through white, he did not have a solid appearing body, like Cloudpaw had. "Any time now, Airstar."

"Airstar, as in Air_Clan?_" Frostpaw asked, his voice full of awe as he realized that he was in the presence of the founding leaders of the Clans.

"You were brought here for a reason, young Frostpaw. Airstar meowed. "Perhaps you and I should take a walk so it may be explained to you clearly. " The ghostly white tom flicked his tail, and with that, Cloudpaw and Firestar padded away toward the scents of the FireClan scents.

Padding slowly after the ghost of Airstar, Frostpaw watched as the snow white cats passed a tree, which followed deeper, but it was hard to see far from beyond the first row of trees. "Where does that forest lead to?" the apprentice asked.

" A place where you should never venture." a blue gray she-cat meowed, her blue eyes watching the shadows as if a badger was going to barge out from behind a tree.

"Bluestar," the white tom meowed, dipping his head in respect. Frostpaw watched as the two cats spoke to each other. He looked at the blue gray she-cat in confusion. He heard all the stories passed down 

from the time Firestar started the Clan. He knew all the leaders by heart, but he remembered that Bluestar wasn't one of them. _Was she from a different Clan? _He wondered.

The she-cat looked at Frostpaw. "It is almost dawn." She mewed to him. Frostpaw looked around, but Airstar's shadowy figure had disappeared.


	4. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Frostpaw felt a hard shove at his side. He opened his multi colored eyes, the dawn light pouring into them, temporarily blinding him.

"Come on Frostpaw." A tom mewed softly. Once the white tom's blue and green eyes had cleared, he saw the dark gray fur of his mentor. "The elders are waiting to bury her, let's go hunt with Ringtail and Dustpaw."

Frostpaw breathed into his sister's pelt one more time. Her body was ice cold. "I'll miss you, Cloudpaw." He whispered as the elders came to bury her body, and Frostpaw slowly followed his mentor out of the thorn barrier.

Coldpaw stepped out into the dim early morning light. He had an awkward dream. A dark tabby tom had came to him, telling him that he could be the best warrior in the Clan, but the apprentice would need to not tell anyone about it. Then the white tom had woken up, disturbed to listen to the tom. How could he keep a secret from his siblings, or anyone for that matter. "But a dream's a dream." He reassured himself aloud. Putting his dream to the back of his mind, he looked around the camp for his mentor, Hawkflight. He saw Frostpaw, still sleeping soundly beside the body of the dead apprentice. Coalfur was walking over to wake him, while the elders watched the white apprentice.

" Are you just going to stand there like a moonstruck rabbit, or are you going to move so the rest of us can stretch our paws?" a dark ginger she-cat asked, attempting to shove past the muscular young white tom.

" Sorry Flamepaw. He meowed, stepping aside.

"It's ok, Coldpaw," she mewed as her brother, Redpaw followed her out.

Snowpaw stretched. It felt like she had been sleeping for half a moon. She padded out of the apprentice's den, into the blinding sunhigh light. She saw Frostclaw sharing tongues with Reedclaw. Not far from the fresh kill pile was Ruffpaw, Reedclaw's apprentice.

"Ruffpaw." Snowpaw mewed as she padded over to the brown tabby tom.

"What," he said, looking up. "Oh, Snowpaw. Shouldn't you be out touring the borders?"

"I slept in, so Frostclaw hasn't taken me out of the camp yet." She mewed

"I'll gladly come with, I mean, that is if you don't mind." Ruffpaw said shyly.

"Snowpaw," Frostclaw mewed, seeing her apprentice and standing up, "Let's go see the borders."

"Ruffpaw, we're on hunting patrol." Reedclaw meowed to his apprentice. Ruffpaw nodded, flicking his tail in goodbye to Snowpaw.

Frostpaw padded along the EarthClan border. Dustpaw and his mentor, Ringtail, were on border patrol, and responsible for keeping the borders well marked, as well as making sure that Frostpaw and Coalfur didn't accidently cross the border, chasing after a mouse or vole.

"What is that?" Frostpaw asked, as a strong stench reached his nose, causing it to wrinkle up in disgust.

"That is EarthClan." Coalfur hissed, unsheathing his claws.

"Coalfur," Ringtail meowed, "How do you know that a border patrol hasn't just past?"

"Because," Coalfur hissed, "I passed an EarthClan patrol on the borders, and that scent wasn't as strong as this." Just as the dark gray tom finished speaking, a silver tabby tom hurled over the border, aiming at Ringtail. A tabby apprentice followed the warrior, leaping at Frostpaw, but Dustpaw slammed into him before the older cat hit.

"Frostpaw, run for help." Coalfur hissed, tussling with a dark gray tom and a white she-cat. The white apprentice watched as a ginger apprentice turned from Dustpaw, seeing the white apprentice. Frostpaw turned tail, pelting through the forest.

Snowpaw was about to follow her mentor to the camp entrance, when a white pelt broke through the thorn barrier. Thunderwhisker was the first to say anything, but it was more concern for his safety than wondering words about why he was back without the patrol.

Russetstar, who had been sharing tongues with Flameflower, one of the queens, looked up. "Frostpaw, where is the rest of your patrol."

"EarthClan border…" the tom said, breathless, "EarthClan ambushed us . We were out numbered."

"Thunderwhisker, Darkcloud." Russetstar mewed. "Get your apprentices and follow Frostpaw."

Frostpaw raced through the forest, his white pelt flashing among the trees. He saw the spot where the cats had been fighting. Coalfur and Ringtail were fighting off the white she-cat and the silver tabby tom. 

Dustpaw was swiping blindly as multiple apprentices. _They must have called for reinforcements to. _He thought.

Out of the corner of his eye, Frostpaw saw the dark tabby pelt of Hawkflight. The dark tabby was stalking through the undergrowth, followed by his apprentice. After a short discussion, the two toms spotted Frostpaw and the small patrol . Hawkflight nodded to Coldpaw, but Frostpaw was out of hearing range to hear what the conversation was about.

"Silverlilly," Thunderwhisker's loud voice echoed. The silver tom lifted his head from his tussle with the FireClan deputy.

"What, Thunderwhisker." The EarthClan cat meowed, strutting over to Thunderwhisker, his small frame forcing him to fluff out his fur to appear larger.

"Does Bramblestar know how to respect his own borders?" Darkcloud hissed, flexing his claws. By this time, Coalfur and Ringtail had made their way over to stand beside Thunderwhisker. Ringtail's flank was bleeding. A ginger warrior was limping slightly over to the EarthClan deputy.

"The question is, do your own warriors know to stay on their side of the border." The response e was directed at Ringtail. One of the apprentices looked at Sandpaw, then at his mentor, the white she-cat. Silverlilly turned around, as if he were going to leave, however, the silver tabby turned to Ringtail, pouncing. The rest of EarthClan decided to follow the deputy, attacking the FireClan patrol.

Suddenly, the sound of Airstar's soft, deep mew sounded in Frostpaw's ear. Frostpaw looked around, but all he saw was the battle around him. "Frostpaw, watch out." The sound appeared again, this time containing more than Airstar's voice, he thought that he heard a hint of Cloudpaw's voice, but he spun around, just in time to see a gray she-cat charging at him, crushing him to the ground.

Coldpaw watched as a gray she-cat rammed into his brother, knocking him to the ground. The white tom's blue eyes clouded with rage, he heard the whispers of the dark tabby tom. Coldpaw charged toward the she-cat, his ears deaf to the call of his mentor. Coldpaw leapt on the she-cat, his thorn sharp claws tearing at her thick pelt. Suddenly, the apprentice reared up .Coldpaw felt a weight on the cat's tail. Looking down but not losing his grip, he saw Frostpaw barely hanging onto the cat's flank, which was bleeding from a rather thin gash on her flank .

"Retreat." An EarthClan warrior yowled, as he dashed across the border, his silver flank splattered with blood. Coldpaw let go of the she-cat as she dashed toward the border. Coldpaw watched as the EarthClan cats crossed their border, only sheathing his claws after the last tail had disappeared.

Frostpaw watched as the EarthClan cats raced across their border. "Serves them right." He meowed, shaking himself. He noticed his brother standing there, his eyes watching the EarthClan party's every move.

"Let's get back to camp." Sandpaw mewed softly to the patrol, her pelt stained with blood.

"Tonight is the night of the Gathering." Redpaw said, his ginger tabby pelt spiking with wet blood splashed on it.

Snowpaw watched as her brothers padded into camp, the patrol following. Frostclaw raced up to Coalfur, her eyes full of worry. "Are you ok?" Snowpaw heard her whisper, tracing his blood stained pelt with her tail.

After Cinderleaf, the medicine cat, came out to look at the injured cats. Sparkkit, a ginger tom was constantly going in and out of the medicine den, fetching herbs for Cinderleaf as if he were already the medicine cat apprentice.

"All cats who are old enough to catch their own prey please gather beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting. " Russetstar yowled, her white muzzle shining in the last light of the day. Snowpaw paused, hoping that this would be good news.

"The cats that will be going to the Gathering will be Coalfur, Thunderwhisker, Rippedwind, Moonpaw, Moss-streak, Frostpaw, Graypaw and Redpaw."


	5. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Frostpaw waited for the meeting to disperse. Searching for Redpaw, he padded toward the fresh kill pile. The ginger tabby was waiting by the entrance, clearly impatient to get to the Gathering. Seeing Frostpaw, Redpaw padded over to the fresh kill pile.

"I wonder if Russetstar will bring up the battle on the border." Frostpaw meowed to his denmate.

"If she doesn't, Bramblestar will. " Redpaw replied, picking out a small mouse.

"What is a Gathering like?" Frostpaw asked, taking a small bite of his mouse.

"Well," Said Moonpaw, a silver-gray tom, "Cats from every Clan will be there. Apprentices, warriors, and sometimes elders, but not very often."

"Frostpaw, Moonpaw, Redpaw," Moss-streak called, "Let's go." The three apprentices got up, racing to catch up with the patrol as it left camp.

Frostpaw trotted along the lakeside, the cool air ruffling his fur. The leaf-fall air was cold and crisp. The air off the lake was threatening to bring in the weather of leaf-bare, but it was too early in the season.

Suddenly, Graypaw nudged Frostpaw in the ribs. "That's AirClan." He meowed. Frostpaw was about to tell the gray tom that he already knew the scent, but the tom would ask too many questions, so Frostpaw just nodded.

"Carful," Redpaw warned as they approached a log that served as a bridge to get to the Gathering Island, "The log can be slippery." Frostpaw watched as the ginger tabby slowly walked across the bridge, his claws digging deep into the bark.

"Go Frostpaw," Graypaw said, nudging the small kit-sized tom forward.

Frostpaw slowly climbed across the log, his short pelt brushing the bark. The log was scarred with many claw marks from cats past. _Were there cats here before us?_ The white tom wondered, reaching the other side. He followed Redpaw and his mentor into a clearing, filled with mixed scents. He smelt EarthClan, and saw a muscular dark tabby tom sitting at the root of the tallest tree that Frostpaw had ever seen, except Sky Oak. Beside him was another dark tabby, but he was smaller, and a little less muscular. The third leader beside's Russetstar was a tawny colored she-cat. Frostpaw looked around for Ringtail, but he was with another tom, a light tabby. The two toms seemed quite friendly, too friendly to be from rival Clans.

"What's the deal with them?" Frostpaw asked Graypaw, who had came up behind him, his gray pelt drenched. _He must have fallen off the bridge. _Frostpaw thought with a hidden grin.

"Oaktalon and Ringtail?" Graypaw asked. Frostpaw just nodded. "No one really knows, except maybe Tawnycloud." Frostpaw cocked his head, but a gang of apprentices had stalked up to Frostpaw and the group of FireClan apprentices.

"Does FireClan have enough apprentices?" an AirClan tortoiseshell tom asked, his face fixed on Frostpaw.

"FireClan has plenty of apprentices." Redpaw hissed.

"Then why did Russetstar make a kit an apprentice?" the tortoiseshell asked, a dark gray tom just watched the other tom, the dislike was clearly visible.

"Leave him alone, Oakpaw." he said, his amber eyes hard on the tortoiseshell tom. Frostpaw watched as the two apprentices were joined by some EarthClan apprentices, and what scented like WaterClan. Three seemed to have a ghostly shadow over them. One of the EarthClan she-cats looked dramatically familiar.

"Cats of all Clans," Russetstar's mew sounded over the island, "Please gather beneath the Great Branch to start another Gathering." Frostpaw watched as all the cats sat down where they were at the ginger she-cat's opening words.

"FireClan has been well." Russetstar continued, "Three kits have become apprentices, Frostpaw joins us here tonight while Snowpaw and Coldpaw could not come tonight." She paused, as Frostpaw felt the gaze.

"But he is the size of a kit." An AirClan warrior meowed.

"Wasn't Airstar the size of a kit when he was an apprentice?" The less muscular tabby said, his amber gaze eyeing Frostpaw.

"However, FireClan has also lost an apprentice this past moon. Cloudpaw has joined StarClan, and her Clan honors her for her service." A ripple of grief was sent through the cats of all four Clans, some consoling Thunderwhisker. Redpaw looked around, his deep amber gaze glaring at the AirClan apprentice that had been teasing Frostpaw earlier.

"AirClan has little to report." The AirClan leader meowed. "Rosemaryeyes' three kits, Robinkit, Oak-kit, and Summerkit, have become apprentices, and Oakpaw and Robinpaw are with us tonight. " Frostpaw's eyes darted to the AirClan apprentices next to them. Robinpaw looked at his paws, his amber eyes full of something, but Frostpaw couldn't tell what.

"Bramblestar," the dark tabby leader meowed, "Does EarthClan have anything to report?"

"Yes, Shadestar, EarthClan has a lot to report." Bramblestar meowed, his voice thick. "I am proud to report that EarthClan has made three new apprentices and two new warriors. Sandwing's kits, Aspenkit, Owlkit, and Shadowkit have reached their six moons, and Owlpaw and Aspenpaw have joined us here tonight. "Mummers of congratulations rose from the crowd, but were quickly silenced to the sound of 

Bramblestar's loud voice. "EarthClan also welcomes new warriors who sit vigil in our camp." He paused eyeing the other Clans, his voice threatening. "Wavepaw and Squirrelpaw have earned their warrior names as Squirrelfur and Wavenose." He paused, his expression turning cold as stone. "Russetstar," the EarthClan leader mewed, his voice aggressive yet calm. "Do all your warriors just wander wherever they want?"

"Bramblestar, you know as well as I do, my warriors respect our borders, I think that it is your warriors who need to respect their borders. "

"How come we found FireClan scent farther in our territory?"Silverlilly small frame asked.

"That Silverlilly is something." A dark brown tabby WaterClan apprentice mewed softly to his companions.

"Silverlilly, FireClan isn't known to disrespect borders. How do you explain the fact that we find EarthClan's scent more than three fox-lengths from the border?" the light tabby WaterClan deputy, Oaktalon, hissed in challenge.

"There have been sightings of a rouge in our territory," a ginger tom mewed from the front.

"Sunriver is right," Shadestar meowed, his dark tabby head nodding, his dark blue eyes closed.

"You may be right," Bramblestar hissed, "but don't expect our camp protection to weaken by extra patrols." It was a clear warning to WaterClan and FireClan, the Clans closest to the EarthClan borders.

"WaterClan has minimal news to report." The tawny WaterClan leader meowed, "Shadowpool has recovered from her illness." As the leader said that, it seemed to Frostpaw that the stars seemed to sigh with relief.

"Her kits, Thornkit, and Springkit have been made apprentices, and are here with us tonight." The apprentices around Frostpaw mewed a soft congratulations to the shadowy gray she-cat and dark brown tom next to him. "Featherpaw joins us here today as Feathershadow" Brief mews of congratulations whispered throughout the hollow. "And Blackfrost has retired to the elder's den."

Russetstar looked around at the gathered cats. "If this is all the news the Clans shall announce, may this Gathering be dismissed, and may StarClan light your path safely home." The ginger leader leapt off the Great Branch, the others following.

"Thornpaw," Graypaw meowed, "Tawnystar never mentioned Swiftkit, is he ok?"

"Swiftkit is fine; just he got into a bit of trouble, so his apprenticeship is being held back for another moon." The tabby meowed, but Frostpaw wasn't paying attention to the other apprentices, he was paying attention to Ringtail and Oaktalon. Ringtail was clearly worried, but Russetstar and Tawnystar were already heading toward the bridge.

Frostpaw dragged his paws across the AirClan side of the lake. His head was tired. I hope Coalfur doesn't expect me to train tomorrow. He thought, his mind reeling from all the information exchanged that night.

"Are Gatherings always this tiring?" the white tom asked Redpaw, the eldest apprentice.

"You'll get used to them." The ginger tom purred with amusement. "You'll go to plenty, or travel on moonhigh patrols, in your six moons.

Coldpaw watched the entrance to the hollow camp. It was just passed moonhigh. Hawkflight had left on the moonhigh patrol, although he didn't think it was necessary. The white apprentice's mind started to wander, and image things. He saw the dark tabby shadow appear next to him. It wasn't Hawkflight; it was someone, or something, else. Suddenly, he recognized the tabby pelt; it was that of the cat that had haunted his mind. The tabby seemed relaxed. His ghostly amber eyes glanced around before he spoke.

"Coldpaw," his ghostly meow was cold, and brushed the apprentice's ear fur like a cold leaf-bare wind.

"W…w…who are you?" Coldpaw stuttered, his mew a barely audible whisper.

"I'm called Tigerstar." The tabby meowed.

Suddenly, the thorn barrier rustled. Coldpaw sprang to his feet, claws unsheathed. He looked around, but Tigerstar's ghostly form was gone. Coldpaw turned, seeing a white pelt.

Frostpaw bounded into the FireClan hollow. He saw Coldpaw sitting underneath the Highledge.

"Coldpaw, what are you doing out so late?" the tom asked his brother.

"I couldn't sleep." He lied. Frostpaw could tell that Coldpaw was lying, because he paused before he spoke.

"Well you better get back to sleep." Thunderwhisker meowed, "I heard that Hawkflight is going to teach you how to hunt tomorrow."

Frostpaw drifted into a deep slumber. He woke up by a crystal pool. "Cloudpaw, Airstar, Firestar…" he called, his mew echoing. He scented familiar scents, scents from the Gathering. "Anyone?" he called again, echoing.

"Moonwind?" the soft question came from a gray tom, which seemed familiar. Robinpaw. Frostpaw thought as he recognized the scent from the Gathering. Turning in another direction, he bumped into a 

silver pelt. Looking up, Frostpaw saw a silver she-cat with soft, caring blue eyes. Behind her was a beautiful tortoiseshell with amber eyes.

"Greetings, Frostpaw." The silver cat meowed. For a moment, Frostpaw thought that she was a live cat, not a member of StarClan. "I'm Quietleaf." She dipped her head. Frostpaw looked around, seeing Aspenpaw of EarthClan, and Thornpaw of WaterClan.

"Good, we're ready to start." The tortoiseshell meowed, padding away from Quietleaf and Frostpaw.

"Who is she?" the snow white tom asked, his head slightly cocked. The other three apprentices noticed the others, except Frostpaw.

"Cats of StarClan, new and old," a light ginger she-cat meowed, "Gather around the Crystalpool for a gathering of the spirits. Cats poured from everywhere, behind rocks, sharing tongues with the other spirits.

"What is this meeting for, Ambereyes?" a tall black and white tom meowed, his starry pelt carrying the scent of AirClan.

"Hush, Tallfoot." The silver tabby tom next to Robinpaw hissed.

"The chosen ones have arrived." A muscular tabby tom carrying the WaterClan scent meowed from his place behind Ambereyes.

"The old Clans are striving in the new territory." A ginger tom with green eyes meowed, stalking up to a ginger she-cat.

"Very informative, Firestar," the tortoiseshell she-cat meowed, "But the chosen ones are here." _Firestar…_ Frostpaw thought, _I thought Firestar was a she-cat._

"Ambereyes," a ginger shadow meowed. The shadow drifted over from where Aspenpaw was standing, her ghostly blue eyes full of trouble, fear, and something that Frostpaw could not tell what it was, "Are you sure that your ready to announce what awaits these young cats?" Ambereyes nodded, quickly looking at every cat behind her, either past leaders, deputies, or medicine cats.

"StarClan, the leaders have chosen." She yowled, her voice filling everywhere in the hollow. "Frostpaw, Robinpaw, Aspenpaw, and Thornpaw have inherited the spirits of the great leaders. Who has been the base of the new Clans? "Frostpaw watched as a dark brown tabby drifted from Thornpaw's side, a dark gray tom departed from Robinpaw's side, and Airstar padded away from Frostpaw's side.

A muscular white tom with black paws padded forward, his eyes burning with anger. "Have these apprentices proved themselves?" he hissed, "One is no bigger than a kit." Frostpaw hissed, unsheathing his claws. Quietleaf brushed her tail over his paws, signaling him to sheath them.

"Blackstar, calm down," a small tabby hissed, "Let these apprentices prove themselves. The new leaders would not have chosen them if they did not believe that they couldn't do the job. "The other cats in StarClan nodded.

"The chosen cats have a great problem ahead of them." A light brown tabby she-cat meowed. "A close friend shall turn, attempting to ruin them, but the Clans as well."

"What?" Frostpaw meowed.

Frostpaw shot up in his nest. It was barely dawn. Frostpaw padded out of the apprentice's den. He saw Redpaw, Flamepaw, and their mentors, Moss-streak, and Thunderwhisker. Flamepaw looked in Frostpaw's direction, as he walked over to the warriors and their apprentices.

"Mind if I join the dawn patrol?" he asked, his green eye blinking the sleep away from his head.

Moss-streak and Thunderwhisker were staring at him with disbelief. "You said that you were tired last night." Thunderwhisker meowed, his blue eyes clouded with worry.

"I couldn't sleep." Frostpaw meowed, sitting down and wrapping his tail around his paws.

"Let's go." Flamepaw meowed, her white tipped tail twitching impatiently.

Frostpaw sniffed the scent border between EarthClan and FireClan. The scent of blood from the day before was still fresh. He scented the faint trace of a EarthClan patrol, but it wasn't as strong as it was before the battle.

"Thunderwhisker," Frostpaw meowed. "Was there any Clans here before Firestar claimed this land?" Frostpaw asked, his black tail tip twitching.

"I don't think so." Frostpaw's father meowed, "You could ask One-ear or One-eye, they were kits at the time that Firestar brought her band of rouges into this territory."

Suddenly, a familiar scent reached Frostpaw's nose. It wasn't EarthClan, it was Coldpaw, but he had a faint trace of EarthClan on him. The white apprentice caught a small glimpse of dark gray vanish in the rising sun.

"What it Coldpaw doing here?" Frostpaw heard Flamepaw ask her brother, her mew suspicious.

"I don't know." Redpaw replied, following Thunderwhisker toward the AirClan border.


	6. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Coldpaw watched as Shadowpaw disappeared into his own territory. Tigerstar had appeared to him earlier that night, and told him to meet someone who was waiting for the white apprentice. It turned out that someone was a dark gray EarthClan apprentice, Shadowpaw, had been having the same dreams, except that Tigerstar didn't appear to him, it was a tom called Brokenstar.

"So do you believe me now?" Tigerstar's voice whispered on the wind.

"Yes Tigerstar, I believe you." Coldpaw replied, "And I accept your help."

"Good, there are a set of tunnels on the border of your territory, one follows out toward the lake, one towards EarthClan, and that takes you to another set, that will take you under EarthClan territory."

"How do you know about these tunnels?' Coldpaw whispered.

"My sons traveled these very footsteps moons ago." The tabby meowed, his voice vanishing.

Coldpaw looked around, unaware of where he was traveling. He noticed the moor. I must be near AirClan territory. He thought. Suddenly, a scent that Coldpaw had never scented before. He looked down at the lake, and two apprentices, one with an unfamiliar Clan scent, and one an AirClan scent were about to pass onto FireClan territory.

"What is your business on FireClan territory?" Coldpaw hissed, but he heard a cold whispered relax in his ear from Tigerstar.

The tortoiseshell Air Clan cat looked up. He shook his head as if he was talking to an unseen animal. The WaterClan apprentice moved his lithe black and white frame toward Coldpaw, slowly. Coldpaw's white pelt began to bristle, his claws flexing and digging up the soft earth.

"Coldpaw," Tigerstar hissed in his ear. "See, down there" the tabby flicked his tail to a ghostly form of a mottled brown tom and a dark tabby that looked oddly like Tigerstar.

Frostpaw followed his father and Redpaw. Out of the corner of his blue eye, he saw a flash of a dark tabby pelt among the dulling undergrowth.

"Frostpaw." An unfamiliar voice whispered from a bush. Frostpaw's instincts told him not to follow the voice, but his curiosity won over the young tom's mind. Following the voice, he ended up in the sandy training hollow. He saw a dark tabby tom and a gray-silver she-cat with blue eyes in the center of the clearing.

"Who are you?" Frostpaw hissed.

"We are members of StarClan, Frostpaw." The gray tom meowed.

"Who are you exactly, I mean your names?" Frostpaw demanded.

"The tabby let out an mrrow of laughter. "We are warriors of Clans past. I'm called Bramblestar and this is Feathertail."

"How are you from Clans past?" Frostpaw asked.

"What do you mean from Clans past?" Redpaw asked his red pelt slicked to his lithe frame, dark from probably falling into the Crystal Stream.

Coldpaw twitched his left black tipped ear. He saw the younger tabby say something, but Coldpaw couldn't make out the words.

"So you've been seeing spirits too, huh?" the lithe black and white apprentice meowed, looking at Tigerstar. Coldpaw nodded his head, his ice blue eyes following the apprentice.

"Yeah, Oakpaw and I have been training under StarClan for about a moon. They said that we had to find two other cats from the other Clans." The WaterClan tom meowed, his amber eyes glittering with nervousness.

Suddenly, the AirClan tom pounced on the other apprentice. "Swiftpaw, you aren't supposed to tell some random cats."

"Oakpaw, calm down." The molted spirit hissed.

"Why should I, Mudclaw?" Oakpaw hissed, stepping of the WaterClan apprentice.

"This is the cat you were meant to meet." Tigerstar hissed.

"Coldpaw," the younger tabby meowed, "It is so nice to finally meet you. Bramblestar never did have the spirit you do."

"Hawkfrost" Tigerstar meowed "You have yet to explain our reasons for coming to these apprentices."

Hawkfrost looked like he was going to leap on Tigerstar, when his head shot up with alarm, his ice blue eyes startled.

Coldpaw scented the air. "A patrol is coming." He hissed his white head high. "Leave, quickly." He stood there, watching the apprentices go. _They would think that I was chasing them off. _He thought. He dashed after his friends, his eyes full of mock aggression.

Frostpaw looked through a gap in the roof of the apprentices den. It was dark, but the faint shine of Silverpelt was barely visible above a thick layer of clouds. He rolled over in his nest, waiting for sleep to come to him.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting." Russetstar called. Frostpaw saw that he was the only apprentice in the den. All the others were already gathered outside by the Highledge. Once Frostpaw exited the den, he saw Redpaw and Flamepaw sitting below the Highledge on some small boulders.

"I, Russetstar, leader of FireClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon these two apprentices." As she spoke, the ginger she-cat leapt off the Highledge and landed in front of the two apprentices. "They have trained hard to understand your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn. Flamepaw, Redpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code, and protect your Clan, even if it cost you your life? "The question came out serious, as if it were a life or death question.

"I do." The two ginger tabbies meowed as they prepared to receive their warrior names

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior names." Russetstar paused. "Flamepaw, from this moment on, you shall be known as Flameheart. StarClan honors your loyalty and your courage. "Russetstar put her nose on the new warrior's head as Flameheart licked her leader's shoulder respectfully. "Redpaw…"Russetstar was cut off by the ginger apprentice as he spoke up.

"Russetstar, I would like to request my warrior name." the Redpaw said bravely to his leader

"Very well, Redpaw." Russetstar looked up to the stars, her blue eyes glimmering with pride. "Warriors of StarClan, the apprentice that stands before you has chosen to choose his warrior name. I ask you to approve of his choice, and honor him as a full warrior of this Clan."

"I wish to choose the name of Redcloud, for an apprentice who deserves to be here sitting beside me as much as Flameheart does." Redpaw said his eyes brimmed with sorrow. Frostpaw felt a familiar scent wash over him. Turning, he saw Cloudpaw her eyes worried yet full of pride. Her shadow was faint, but a sense of worry was growing in Frostpaw's belly.

"You have no right to choose that name." an infuriated voice swelled up from the crowd. Turing to see who it was. Seeing Dustpaw padding stiffly to the Highledge, his fur bristling. "Why can't you just be like everyone else and accept what Russetstar was going to give you as your warrior name? " The apprentice looked at the new warrior, his eyes attempting to hide the emotional pain and anger.

"Dustpaw, calm down," Mousewhisker meowed, her tail wrapping around her son. "Russetstar, do you approve of the warrior's choice?' the queen asked the leader, her eyes full of hope.

"Fine, choice, Redpaw, from this moment on, you shall be known as Redcloud, under your own accord of reasons. " Russetstar said, as if Dustpaw had never intervened.

As the meeting ended, Frostpaw watched as Hawkflight congratulated his kits, and other warriors retreated into their den to get some sleep. Thunderwhisker, Moss-streak, and Ringtail were rounding up two apprentices for the moonhigh patrol, but Frostpaw stayed where he was, his paws rooted to where he was standing.

"Frostpaw," a soft mew came up behind him, "are you going to stand there all night like a moonstruck rabbit, or are you going to get some sleep so we can train tomorrow." The small white tom spun around seeing Sandpaw standing behind him. He nodded, finally moving his paws towards the den.

"Now that Flameheart and Redcloud are gone, we have more room in here." Coldpaw said, stretching his back legs as he stood up. Morning dew glittered on the bracken braches covering the den. Dustpaw and Roughpaw were fast asleep, not aware of the other apprentices comments that lingered in the early morning den.

"I'm going to go see if I can go hunting." Graypaw meowed, standing up and stretching. "Anyone want to come with me?"

"Sure," Snowpaw said, standing up. Frostpaw nodded, shaking the last bits of his nest from his pelt.

"I don't know," Sandpaw meowed, her ginger pelt dappled with moss.

"Come on," Snowpaw meowed, "you never know when you're going to join StarClan." The white she-cat looked at the ginger apprentice, her green eyes almost pleading for her friend to join her.

Coldpaw stalked quietly through the undergrowth. Graypaw, Frostpaw, Snowpaw, and Sandpaw were hunting down by the lake, but Coldpaw had ventured in the opposite direction, toward the old Twoleg Nest. Stalking quietly through the undergrowth, careful not to let the vole he was tracking scent him, Coldpaw saw a movement ahead of him, father up the old Thunderpath. It had the lithe form of a cat with a dark brown tabby pelt, much like his mentor, but Coldpaw had made sure that Hawkflight was sleeping in the warrior's den when he had left.

Startled and disturbed by this thought, the white tom turned around, preparing to see the forest behind him as he went and searched for his friends, when he smashed into a dark ginger fur. Coldpaw turned his white head upward, hoping to see Redcloud, out patrolling the borders or hunting, but no. He saw the dark ginger tabby head of Flameheart. Her amber eyes were filled with relief, and amusement.

"You're going to have to have better hearing than that if you want to defend yourself if a warrior sneaks up on you. A warrior isn't going to hesitate attacking you if you're not paying attention." The she-cat said, flipping the tom onto his backside. The ginger warrior swiped her paw over his ear, while Coldpaw brought his paw up to block the blow, but his paw wasn't strong enough to move the older cat's paw.

"Flameheart," Coldpaw meowed when she finally let him stand up. "Have you ever been beyond the Old Two-leg Nest?"

"No, I haven't, Moss-streak made it very clear to me that no cat was allowed up past there, and I don't suggest that you should try to go past there, unless you want to confined to the camp for three moons." The ginger she-cat twitched her tail. "Let's find your siblings." She meowed, turning her father's apprentice away from the Thunderpath.


	7. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Snowpaw looked around the mossy clearing. Graypaw was setting a thrush in the apprentices' makeshift fresh-kill pile. The white she-cat had a squirrel at her paws, but Snowpaw seemed like she was froze. Looking over to where her brother was watching the prey, the she-cat noticed the bushes behind him were moving slightly, and glimpses of a familiar white pelt were visible for a moment. Snowpaw stalked forward carefully, unsheathing her claws, her muscles prepared to leap at the flash of white.

As she got closer, she scented the tang of cat, but it was mixed of FireClan, and something else. Seeing Sandpaw, the younger apprentice tensed.

"Sandpaw, come here." Snowpaw said, creping closer to the brambles, hearing familiar and unfamiliar hisses.

"Is that Coldpaw?" the ginger she-cat asked, but Snowpaw's reply was only a slight, but noticeable nod.

Slipping though the undergrowth, Snowpaw carefully twitched her tail close to the ground. Seeing the bushes part, only a few short tail-lengths away. The white apprentice saw flashes of a bloodstained white pelt, and a larger gray figure. As she crept closer, she saw the gray tom had countless battle scars covering his pelt, and small cuts and scratches from the new apprentice's weak battle skills. Looking to her side, Snowpaw saw Sandpaw prowling ahead, of the white apprentice, only glancing back as she whispered, "Get help."

****

Frostpaw rested his head on his paws. He wanted to be hunting, not guarding a stack of fresh-kill. Hearing the bushes rustle in front of him, he pretended to be sleeping. Opening one eye slightly, he saw Snowpaw, quickly brushing the tall blades of grass aside, her eyes worried, and her fur on end. Standing up, the white tom trotted over to his sister.

"Snowpaw," he meowed, his voice flat, unaware of the danger that lay beyond the grass, "What's wrong?"

"Coldpaw is in trouble." Snowpaw's reply was, grabbing the prey the apprentices had gathered. Picking up Graypaw's thrush and a vole that Sandpaw had caught earlier. Not looking where he was going, the small apprentice bumped into something. Looking up, he saw the ginger fur of Flameheart.

"Thank StarClan," Snowpaw mewed, dropping the prey in her mouth so she could talk. "Coldpaw needs help. I think rouge is attacking him, but Sandpaw stayed behind to try to help him." Frostpaw just looked at his sister as if she were crazy. Turning tail, the small apprentice dropped the prey, in his jaws, and dashed back to the clearing where Graypaw was sitting a limp mouse in his jaws.

"What's wrong?" the gray apprentice meowed, setting his mouse down.

"Coldpaw is fighting with a rouge and has only Sandpaw to help him." Frostpaw meowed, pushing his way through the bushes. What he saw was not what he had expected. A tall, blue-gray tom was standing over Coldpaw, his claws pinned down. He saw a dark brown tabby pelt, much like the one of the new apprentice's mentor, looking at him from the shadows. Sandpaw was nowhere to be seen. _Where is she?_ The tom wondered, looking around.

"Stone," the sound of Hawkflight's voice sounded from the surrounding undergrowth, "You'll be lucky if you make it out alive."

"I've cheated death many times, Hawkflight." The blue-gray tom meowed, his battle-scarred tail twitched as he drew his claw close to Coldpaw's neck. Not thinking, Frostpaw lunged at the rouge, landing squarely on his back.

"Bite his ear," Cloudpaw's voice whispered in his ear, while Frostpaw dragged his paw over the remnants of the cat's ear. As Stone threw his head back, he saw Coldpaw slip out from under the rouge, and scratch his nose, causing it to bleed. When his brother was clear, Frostpaw leapt off the tom, landing beside his white brother, who was almost covered head to tail with scratches and dust.

"Get back to camp, both of you." Hawkflight hissed as Sandpaw came out of the bushes, following the dark tabby warrior. Behind the white apprentices, Flameheart appeared, her silver claws unsheathed.

"You again," she hissed, her tone more frightened than angry "Why don't you bother EarthClan instead of us?" the question was sharp, but the rouge didn't bother to answer, he just leapt at the new warrior, his claws extended.

"You should know why" he hissed, landing on Flameheart, flipping her onto her back. "Young warrior, haven't your elders told you anything…" Stone said, but Frostpaw felt a tugging on his scruff, one that was too powerful to resist.

Frostpaw looked toward the center of camp. Flameheart and Hawkflight still hadn't come back, but Snowpaw and Graypaw were sitting by the apprentice den, probably wondering where the two warriors were. Shadows of confusion clouded the young apprentice's mind. _What did Stone mean, 'Haven't your elders told you nothing.'_

"Frostpaw, Frostpaw," Cinderleaf meowed, her voice stricter than normal. Since Thunderwhisker had dragged Coldpaw and him back from the fight with Stone, Russetstar had punished them to a moon of confinement to camp, unless they were going out training, but that was it. No border patrols, no hunting with their mentors.

"What, Cinderleaf?" Frostpaw said, snarling under his breath. Ever since the Clan had heard the fact that he and Coldpaw were confined to the camp, Cinderleaf had been giving him tasks to do like she was his mentor, not Coalfur.

"Can you take some prey to the queens?" the dark gray she-cat asked, her dark blue eyes shining with hope.

"Do I have a choice?" Frostpaw meowed, getting to his paws, Coldpaw behind him. Grabbing a vole that he had caught on the apprentices' early morning hunting trip, Frostpaw and his brother padded across the clearing, toward the nursery.

"Frostpaw, Coldpaw." A squeal of delight came from the entrance of the nursery, and a lithe black and gray tabby tom and a light ginger she-kit dashed out of the den, attempting to grab the thrush in Coldpaw's jaws.

"Runningkit, Flarekit, quiet down," a gray she-cat meowed, her white paws covered in dust.

"Why?" Flarekit mewed, her high voice clearly complaining.

"Mistywind," Frostpaw meowed, careful not to let the kits take the prey he had in his mouth. "Cinderleaf told me to bring the queens some fresh-kill."

"Thanks, Frostpaw." Mistywind meowed, her voice clearly tired. "Can you watch the kits so the rest of us can get some sleep? "

"Sure," Frostpaw meowed, "It's not like I have anything better to do." As he spoke, three kits dashed out of the nursery, their tails flicking in excitement.

"Frostpaw, can you teach us how to fight?" a brown tabby tom who looked like a miniature Dustpaw asked, his green eyes sparkling with hope.

"Leafkit, you'll learn soon enough. " Coldkit said, padding up to the kits. "Aren't you going to be apprenticed soon?"

****

Coldpaw looked at the small tabby kit. He realized that this was his best friend just a moon ago and the kits looked up to his brother, not him, why? Seeing his brother move toward the center of camp, Coldpaw followed, barley aware of the fact that Frostpaw was talking to him.

"Coldpaw," his smaller brother meowed, "You should tell them a story."

"Isn't that what elders do?" Coldpaw hissed, his tail lashing about impatiently.

"Sure, but they hadn't fought a rouge when they had barley started their apprenticeship." Frostpaw meowed.

"Fine." Coldpaw said, settling down on the cold ground. "I was hunting, intent on catching the fourth vole that I was going to catch for the day. Then, out of nowhere, what I thought was an EarthClan warrior attacked me out of nowhere. He was strong, but I managed to keep him away from the vole I was hunting. He had me pinned, and just before he took the kill bite, Frostpaw leapt out of nowhere, landing on his back, so I could escape and drag my claws over his muzzle, and straight up his face to his ears. "Coldpaw watched as the kits eyes widened, clearly in surprise.

"Flarekit," a ginger queen called from the entrance of the nursery, "Where's Sparkkit."

"I think he is with Cinderleaf." Frostpaw replied, saving the little she-kit from answering a question that she didn't know.

"Half moon's coming up." Russetstar said, approaching the kits and two apprentices.

"Yes and why should that be important?" Coldpaw asked, knowing that he talked to his leader disrespectfully.

"Fireflower," Russetstar mewed "Has Cinderleaf or Sparkkit mentioned anything about him becoming a medicine cat instead of a warrior?" The ginger leader looked at the queen, something like envy or jealousy flickering in the leader's eyes.

"Yes, Sparkkit mentioned something about wanting to be a medicine cat more than a warrior." Fireflower meowed. Russetstar flicked her tail, dismissing the two young apprentices and sent the kits retreating into the nursery.

****

Frostpaw rested his head on his paws, his tail curled over his nose, his eyes closing. He heard Dustpaw or Moonpaw stand up, probably to go on the moonhigh patrol. He opened his blue eye, seeing Coldpaw's nest empty. Sandpaw was grooming her light ginger fur, and Snowpaw was twitching in her sleep. _Probably chasing a mouse or something. _He thought, closing his eyes again.

"Frostpaw, we've been waiting for you." Cloudpaw's meow came to him almost as soon as he was asleep.

"Yes," a light ginger she-cat meowed. "Come, the others are waiting." With that, the she-cat set off into the undergrowth, Cloudpaw behind her.

"Who is she? She looks just like Sandpaw, only…"Frostpaw said, but his older sister cut him off.

"Older?" Cloudpaw finished. She just shook her head. "That is Ambereyes; she was the deputy before Russetstar."

When Frostpaw finally caught up to Ambereyes, h e was standing in a clearing, with four other apprentices coming through the brush, all following different cats. Frostpaw recognized Robinpaw, the gray AirClan apprentice, but he barely recognized the other two, Aspenpaw of EarthClan, and Thornpaw of WaterClan.

"What are we doing here?" the dark brown tabby apprentice asked. The light brown tabby tom next to the apprentice looked at a dark tabby whose eyes were surrounded by scars from many battles, who only slightly nodded his head.

"Thornpaw," the dark tabby meowed, his green eyes glaring at the apprentice. "You are here because StarClan wants you to be here."

"Calm down Tornmask." Ambereyes hissed, her voice commanding. "You keep forgetting that these apprentices hold the future of the Clans."

"We have brought you here for a very important reason." A tall brown she-cat next to Robinpaw meowed, glancing at the light brown tom next to Thornpaw.

"StarClan and the leaders of origin have chosen you to perform a task." The tom paused, and the tom called Tornmask picked up his place.

"The task may not be easy." He meowed, "It will require sacrifice, but if it is done correctly, the rewards will be great, and well deserved.

"How will we know if it is done correctly?" Thornpaw's annoyed mew came again, "I mean will StarClan send a sign or something?"

"Not everything is going to be revealed at once." Ambereyes meowed, her voice calm and steady.

Frostpaw awoke blinking his eyes to shake the sleep from his eyes. That was the fourth dream of StarClan since he'd become an apprentice. I don't think that I should talk to Cinderleaf about this. The white tom thought half-heartedly.


	8. Chapter 6

**An: Coalfur- Hawkeh finally has to admit somthing**

**Hawkeh-Although I wish it, I am not any one of the Erins, and I have no affliations with them **

**Coalfur-And...**

**Hawkeh-And I do not own StarClan, or any of the past characters, although it would be nice. **

**Coalfur-Don't you need to appolgize?**

**Hawkeh-Oh yeah...Sorry it took so long to update... school and I kinda forgot.**

Chapter 6

"Frostpaw," Coalfur meowed, his amber eyes shining in the pale half moon light. The dark gray warrior's pelt glittered silver. Ringtail nodded to Cinderleaf, as the dark gray medicine cat exited the camp, the ginger pelt of Sparkkit following her. Russetstar was looking at up at Silverpelt as if StarClan were showing her a sign.

"Coalfur," Frostclaw meowed, padding over to her brother. "Have you seen Snowpaw?"The she-cat's green eyes glittered with worry. The gray tom just shook his head, seeing Frostpaw who was following his brother out of their den.

"Coldpaw, are you on the moonhigh patrol?" the smaller tom asked.

"Yeah, Hawkflight said I should since I have barley been out of camp since the fight with EarthClan." Coldpaw meowed, his ice blue eyes scanning the clearing, as if he were looking for someone beyond Coalfur and Frostclaw.

"Frostpaw, Coldpaw, have you seen Snowpaw at all?" Frostclaw asked the brothers.

_She's in the apprentice den, sleeping. _Coldpaw thought, about to speak to his sister's mentor, but thought better of it, but let his brother speak instead.

"She is sleeping in the den." Frostpaw meowed, his small frame fluffed up against the cold. Leaf-fall had set in, and Russetstar was sending patrol after patrol to keep an eye on the boarders as well as hunt.

"Coalfur, where's Hawkflight." Sparkkit's voice mewed from next to Cinderleaf.

"Coming," Coldpaw's mentor meowed, his dark tabby pelt washed gray by the moon. "So you want to be a medicine cat?" Hawkflight asked his son, licking him between the ears. The tiny tomkit nodded.

"He'll be healing instead of Cinderleaf soon." Coalfur joked, his pelt easily blending into the dark undergrowth. With that comment, the medicine cat paused, cuffing the warrior over the ear with a sheathed paw.

"Calm down, Cinderleaf." Frostpaw mewed, "he was only joking." Coldpaw rolled his eyes. His brother always had to be the one who would rush to the defense of anyone.

"If you were leader…" Coldpaw murmured, not bothering to finish his sentence.

"What?" Frostpaw hissed. The tom was clearly ready to leap onto his brother, if Hawkflight hadn't cuffed both apprentices over the ear, and Coldpaw thanked StarClan for that.

"If I were leader, I'd be asleep in my den, not on a border patrol at moonhigh on the half-moon." Coalfur meowed wishfully.

"I have a better chance than being leader than you, Coalfur." Hawkflight meowed as if the two mentors were apprentices.

"Why's that, Hawkflight?" Coalfur inquired, pausing to scent the AirClan border. "Because you're older, more experienced, and have had kits and apprentices?"

"Maybe," Hawkflight meowed, his ears listening for a mouse or an AirClan patrol. "Or maybe it is that I would think twice about starting a fight." The dark tom's ice blue eyes pierced the dark gray tom's amber eyes, a hint of anger and jealousy in his eyes.

"Cinderleaf," a tortoiseshell and white she-cat meowed, padding from the bracken."Where is Flashleaf?"

"I don't know, Sorrelleaf," Cinderleaf paused, as a silver she-cat emerged from the bracken behind her, as if on cue. "Where is Woodfoot and Littlepaw?"

"Right here." A small tabby tom mewed, bounding out from behind Sorrelleaf, with a brown tabby tom following him. "Who's this?" he asked, noticing Sparkkit.

"I'm Spark…"Sparkkit mewed happily, grateful that someone finally noticed him, but was cut off his future mentor.

"This is Sparkkit," Cinderleaf meowed, her tail covering the tom's mouth. "He is going to become an apprentice tomorrow, and Russetstar agreed to let him come tonight to meet with StarClan for the first time."

"I'm Littlepaw." The tabby mewed, "I'm the WaterClan medicine cat apprentice. I'm glad I'm not the only apprentice anymore."

Leaving the medicine cats to travel to the Moonpool, Coldpaw turned his back, scenting a mouse. He dropped into a hunting crouch. He paused, thinking he saw a glint of amber in the shadows, but it was only Coalfur, burying a vole, it had been a quarter moon since he had saw Tigerstar, or whatever he was called.

_I wonder if he is watching me._ Coldpaw thought, leaping blindly for the mouse, killing it before the creature could squeak an alarm.

"Good catch, Coldpaw." Coalfur praised, looking at the apprentice. Even though the young warrior wasn't his mentor, he felt a surge of pride under his pelt. "Now only if Frostpaw would stop staring at the stars and finish the patrol." Coalfur murmured. Coldpaw twitched his ear, suddenly feeling an odd sense of guilt, being praised by his brother's mentor.

"Frostpaw," Coldpaw meowed," Watch it." The white tom leapt onto his smaller brother, his paws effortlessly flipping the smaller tom over onto his back. Frostpaw let out a mrrow of surprise and started clawing Coldpaw between his forelegs, claws sheathed.

"Coldpaw, get off." Frostpaw meowed. His brother stopped struggling, his body almost going limp.

"Maybe you should be paying attention to the boarder, and not the stars." Coldpaw meowed, teasingly, as he stepped off his brother. "I could have been an AirClan patrol, and I wouldn't have hesitated to kill you."

"You're not my mentor." Frostpaw hissed irritation in his tone.

"I know that." Coldpaw hissed, unsheathing his claws, preparing to leap at his brother.

"Coldpaw, Frostpaw, cut it out." Hawkflight's angered growl met Coldpaw's ear fur.

"Yeah, you'll scare all the prey across the territory." Coalfur joined in, but shrunk back as the amber gaze from the older warrior turned to him as if he were a disobedient kit.

The rest of the patrol didn't go any better. Coldpaw caught only a scrawny shrew and a vole. Frostpaw only caught a small mouse. The littermates were deathly silent as they neared the AirClan boarder. The medicine cats were touching noses in a farewell, Littlepaw and Sparkkit were talking happily together, as if they had know each other since they were born.

"Cinderleaf." Hawkflight said through a mouse and Coldpaw's mouse that he had caught earlier when the medicine cats had first left.

"What Hawkflight?" Cinderleaf said, her voice obviously tired and concerned.

"Coldpaw," Sparkkit said, his body clearly still full of energy. "Guess what StarClan told me…" the young tom managed to meow before his future mentor slapped her ashen tail over his mouth.

"Hush, Sparkpaw." The medicine cat meowed, "You can't tell anyone what you've discussed with StarClan."

"Fine." The kit said the light dimming in his vibrant green eyes. Coldpaw felt bad for the kit. He wasn't going to have the thrill of going on hunting patrols and fighting rival Clans. The kit seemed down.

"Cinderleaf," Hawkflight meowed, breaking the silence. "Did StarClan tell you anything?" The gray medicine cat didn't bother to answer the warrior's question with anything but a nod of her head. Worry clouded her blue eyes.

"Hawkflight," Sparkkit mewed, walking swiftly to attempt to catch his father. "Will I have to sleep in the nursery with Flarekit and mother?"

The senior warrior paused, setting down his prey to answer his son. "Russetstar will decide that, not me." He meowed bluntly. The tom snatched up his mice and bounded off into the trees, the others following with the three apprentices slightly behind.

The camp was quiet when Coldpaw awoke at sunrise. The white apprentice almost tripped over his brother's tail when he was exiting the den. A breeze whispered of the hollow walls as a kit squeaked from the nursery. A few warriors were sharing tongues below the Highledge, but no one noticed Coldpaw, despite his white pelt.

"Coldpaw," a rough meow came from behind him. Spinning around he saw Dustpaw, an unpleasant expression on his face. "Are you just going to stand there, or are you going to let me past?" the older apprentice looked unhappy.

"Sorry Dustpaw." Coldpaw meowed, not the least bit sorry. _If you're going anywhere, why don't you stuff your face into a rabbit hole, it's the best way to catch prey. _He thought bitterly with a touch of sarcasm.

"You're up early." A softer meow came from beside him. Coldpaw turned. He was so busy with his bitter thoughts that he hadn't noticed Flameheart come up beside him. "Don't mind Dustpaw, he was always a bitter furball, even when he was in the nursery, although it did help to have Cloudpaw around." The ginger warrior watched the older apprentice, her blue eyes focusing on something in the distance, as if she were remembering.

"Flameheart." Hawkflight's voice sounded behind them. He sounded tired, and a little irritated. "Stop gossiping with Coldpaw and find Ringtail to see if he needs you on a patrol."

"But," the younger warrior began to protest, but it was clear that her father was not going to let her slip. "Fine." she hissed, standing up and walking away."See you later, Coldpaw." Coldpaw watched the she-cat go, his heart heavy for some reason.

"Coldpaw." Icewhisker called from across the clearing. Hearing his mother's voice, he stood up, bounding to the white warrior. "Coldpaw," she repeated, "Have you seen Russetstar." When his answer was only a shake of his head in a silent no, the queen murmured, "I was hoping to speak to her about who was going to mentor Flarekit." The queen licked the white tom's head in farewell.

Coldpaw watched his opponent. The white apprentice seemed to be mirrored to the other side of the clearing. Frostclaw was waiting nervously next to Hawkflight as Snowpaw launched herself at her brother, paw barely nicking his ear as she landed.

Coldpaw thought fast as he slipped under his sister in an attempt to unbalance her by swiping at her forepaws, but Snowpaw was too swift. She managed to flip her larger brother onto his back, leaving his underbelly exposed. Planting a forepaw on his throat, she looked at her mentor for approval.

"You taught her well, Frostclaw." Hawkflight meowed, watching as the white she-cat nodded to her apprentice as she stepped off Coldpaw, giving him a hard cuff on the ear. He had only been training for half a moon, but his sister was already a better fighter than he was.

"Coldpaw, Snowpaw," Frostclaw said, her green eyes glimmering with pride, "Go hunt for a while and comeback once you've caught something for the Clan. The white tom rolled his eyes as the two mentors padded back to camp.

Heading toward the EarthClan border, Coldpaw scented for any prey. _Nothing. _He thought, looking up from the ground. Inhaling the scents of the forest around him, a sharp, marshy scent reached his nose. _EarthClan._ His mind hissed. He unsheathed his claws, ready to leap on the intruder. He stalked stealthily thorough the forest toward the scent and border. Watching a shape form in his vision, Coldpaw tensed his muscles to leap, his claws outstretched. The shaped moved toward him, as if the form could not see his snow white pelt.

"Get out of my territory." The white apprentice hissed leaping on the shadow, an apprentice sized form appearing beneath his paws. The slender tom flipped the dark gray form over with ease, looking into the EarthClan cat's sparkling amber eyes. The tom froze. "Shadowpaw, what are you doing here?" he hissed, placing a sheathed paw on the apprentice's throat.

"I needed to talk to someone…"Shadowpaw meowed, his voice a barely audible squeak.

"Not here." Coldpaw meowed, flicking his tail toward an old, rundown wall closer to the EarthClan border.

"I heard Bramblestar talking to Flashleaf this morning." Shadowpaw whispered, his small body shaking from the cold.

"So, why should I care what they were talking about?" Coldpaw hissed, settling deeper into his nest that he had created only a few moments before. Shadowpaw had insisted that they build nest out of moss, even though it would retain the EarthClan scent. The air surrounding the two apprentices was cold with leaf-bare, even though it was about a moon off.

"They were talking about us." Shadowpaw said his amber eyes alight in the waning moon light. "They said that they were afraid of four of the twelve. "

"How do you know that we are 'the twelve '" Coldpaw said, with a pause. "What are the twelve anyway?"

"You don't know, do you?" Shadowpaw asked his voice suddenly unusually dark. "I heard Bramblestar talk to my mother about them. He said that three siblings from each Clan were chosen to resemble the leaders past, "Shadowpaw paused to cough slightly. "He told my mother that we were the chosen."

"Wait, does that mean the nursery tales about every leader in the Clan so far has been of Earthstar's blood?" Coldpaw asked, suddenly interested.

"Yep," the gray tom meowed, only his glittering amber eyes the only visible part of his body. "I think Bramblestar is going to die soon…"

"That's better for you." Coldpaw asked, scenting the air for his Clanmates. Scenting Frostclaw and Ringtail not far off. "Get out of here." He hissed to his friend. Shaking the bits of moss out of his white fur, tom stalked carefully through the forest, praying to StarClan that he wouldn't step on a leaf. Peering through the bushes in front of him, he saw the white she-cat and the tabby deputy carefully stalking prey, while clearly keeping their ears open for any signs of a wayward apprentice. The rich scent of milk and mouse washed over Coldpaw turning around, he saw a couple of mice sleeping, with newborns attached to the mother, in a shallow burrow.

Carefully, Coldpaw snapped the parents' necks and poked an unsheathed claw at the babies, making sure they were dead before he picked up the older mice by the tails, and carefully grabbing the small newborn prey by the base of their tails before he emerged from the bush.

"Coldpaw." Frostclaw said in surprise. A vole hung from her jaws, blood glittered around her muzzle.

"Couldn't find any prey." Coldpaw meowed, his voice calm, irritated that the white she-cat had even bothered to ask.

"Coldpaw…" Ringtail's voice sounded behind him "Has Hawkflight taught you any values of prey and life yet?" the tabby deputy's voice was full of shock and slight anger as he saw the prey the young apprentice had in his jaws. Coldpaw only shook his head in response, sending the small mice swinging from his jaws.

"Don't be mad at him, Ringtail." Frostclaw said softly, her white fur blending in with the deputy's tabby, "Hawkflight hasn't taught him much. Remember, he's not Dustpaw."

"Might as well teach him now, so he doesn't do it again." Ringtail meowed. "Coldpaw, I may not be your mentor, but listen well. Never chose a pregnant or nursing mother for prey, the young ones will become future prey."

"Coldpaw, take a mouse to the queens." Ringtail said, setting a thrush on the fresh-kill pile. Coldpaw nodded, dropping three of his mice and carrying the other to the nursery

"Is that for us?" a quiet mew asked, as Coldpaw entered the nursery. Seeing his gray and white aunt, he nodded, and set it down in front of her, not seeing her black mate beside her.

"Thanks Coldpaw." He meowed in gratitude, "I was just about to go get something myself. "

"Well now you don't have to." Coldpaw murmured, exiting the den, careful not to wake the sleeping queens. He froze slightly as Runningkit squeaked as the tomkit twitched in his dream.

"Coldpaw," Hawkflight's scornful voice sounded as Coldpaw exited the nursery. "How long does it take you to catch a pathetic mouse?"

"I couldn't find one." Coldpaw hissed in his mentor's face. I'm going to kill him. Coldpaw hissed in his head, his blue eyes blazing with anger.

* * *

**Coalfur-Why was this so long.**

**Hawkeh-a) it just kinda happened, and b) kinda wanted try to make it up to readers. **

**Coalfur-Read and Reveiw**

**Hawkeh-Chapter 7 will be up in about 24 hours for sure...no maybes or exceptions**


	9. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting." Russetstar's call echoed through the hollow as the dawn sun cracked the sky. Snowpaw's white pelt was littered with moss from her nest, but she didn't notice until had left the den and sat next to the other apprentices closer to the front.

"Decide to bring your nest with you?" Coldpaw asked as she sat beside her brother, who was occasionally glancing at Flameheart. Frostpaw was closer to a group of slightly arguing warriors consisting of the majority of the senior warriors and Coalfur. Sandpaw and Dustpaw were sitting close to Frostpaw, with Graypaw and Moonpaw nearby. Roughpaw was clearly sharing a joke or two with Coldpaw, but Snowpaw took no notice of the toms.

"Now is the time for one of my favorite ceremonies," Russetstar meowed as Sparkkit, Flarekit bounced forward with Spotkit, and Leafkit followed a little more slowly. Their pelts shimmered in the morning light. "I ask my warrior ancestors to look down on these kits, who wish to become warriors of FireClan. Flarekit, Spotkit, and Leafkit, form this day forth, until you have earned our warrior names, you shall be known as Flarepaw, Spotpaw, and Leafpaw." The new apprentices started mewling and cuffing each other over the ears.

As the commotion quieted down, Russetstar continued, "Thunderwhisker, you will mentor Flarepaw. You were an excellent mentor to Redcloud and turned him into a warrior FireClan is proud of." the leader hesitated for a heartbeat. "Thunderwhisker, Tawnycloud was your mentor, and I hope that you pass on your dedication and strength to this apprentice." Thunderwhisker stepped forward to touch noses with his new apprentice, a good-humored sparkle in his eyes.

"Fireflower, you are ready for your first apprentice, you will mentor Spotpaw. Mossbrook was your mentor. I hope that her courage and humility pass through you to your apprentice." As Fireflower and Spotpaw touched noses, Leafpaw stepped up, slightly shaking. "Icewhisker, you are ready for your second apprentice, even if it didn't last very long. Your mentor was Silverclaw. I hope that her kindness and loyalty pass through you to your apprentice. "

"Spotpaw! Flarepaw! Leafpaw!" The Clan chanted.

"Cats of FireClan," Cinderleaf meowed, her ash gray pelt groomed neatly as if she were going to have her warrior's ceremony. "I have decided to take on an apprentice. I have spoke with StarClan, and they have approved of my choice. Sparkpaw will be FireClan's medicine cat apprentice.

"Sparkpaw, Sparkpaw." Snowpaw called, watching the apprentice stand up in pride, his pelt a speck of flame in the rising sun.

"Snowpaw." Frostclaw called her white pelt almost blinding. "Ringtail wants us on a border patrol with him, Icewhisker and Thunderwhisker." Snowpaw sighed as the morning sun reflected off her snow-white pelt.

"This is the EarthClan border." Icewhisker meowed to Leafpaw and Spotpaw. Snowpaw suppressed an _mrrow_ of laughter as the two young apprentices commented about the stench the Clan had. Ringtail paused, his fur slightly brushing up against Frostclaw, for almost even a slightest heartbeat. Snowpaw watched as Icewhisker glanced at the deputy, an unnoticed emotion flashing though her clear emerald eyes. Tension crackled between the two toms present, not paying attention to the two siblings who were starting to wander.

"Spotpaw," Snowpaw meowed quietly, hoping to catch the young she-cat's attention. The young brown apprentices paused, glancing back before blending into the forest. Looking at the only other apprentice on the patrol, Dustpaw, the two apprentices disappeared following the two young cats. Dustpaw, the apprentice's older brother swiftly and carefully padded though the undergrowth, pausing when the rank of EarthClan hit the couple's noses.

"They must have crossed the border." He hissed, probably thinking that his siblings were going to be killed if caught on the other Clan's territory.

"Let's go then." Snowpaw said, ignoring the boarder. She paused when Dustpaw didn't follow her.

"No, I'll go, they're my siblings and if you come, a patrol will see us too easily. " Dustpaw meowed, passing the white she-cat who was puffed up in fury.

"I'm going," Snowpaw hissed, catching up with him. "How would I be able to explain to our mentors that I just let you cross the border alone if you don't come back?"

"Fine." Dustpaw hissed, rolling his eyes, "but stay quiet. " Snowpaw nodded, carefully placing her paws so she wouldn't step on any twigs if there were any.

"Trespasser," a she-cat's yowl split the silence. Snowpaw was caught off guard as a dark ginger apprentice launched into her, bringing the white FireClan apprentice onto her back.

"Snowpaw are you…"Dustpaw was cut off as a dark mass hurdled into him. He hissed, biting his attacker's ear. Snowpaw turned her attention to her own attacker, allowing her body to go slightly limp, but that didn't fool this she-cat.

"You coward." She hissed, as she brought a sheathed paw down on Snowpaw's head, but the pain was minimal, due to the weak strength of her attacker. Snowpaw unsheathed her claws, letting her hind claws dig into the she-cat's soft belly.

Suddenly, the she-cat leapt off Snowpaw as two older cats, clearly warriors stalked into the shade, both ginger toms. Before Snowpaw could get to her paws, the she-cat's paw was firmly planted on her white throat.

"Well done Aspenpaw, Owlpaw." One of the toms said. A charcoal gray mask surrounded his sharp, almost handsome blue eyes. The other, a smaller tom hissed as he closed his mouth, his comrade clearly had beaten him to congratulating their apprentices. "Patience, Squirrelfur." The other tom meowed, his white tipped tail twitching.

"What are you doing here?" Squirrelfur hissed. His ginger pelt was very visible in the shadow of the forest.

"We're looking for two apprentices who wandered across the border. " Dustpaw hissed before Snowpaw could speak.

"So FireClan hasn't changed, they still don't teach their apprentices where the boarders are." The older tom meowed, sarcasm flickering in his crystals.

"What do you want us to do with them, Shademask?" the she-cat asked her mentor. The tom just looked at the two apprentices.

"That's for Bramblestar to decide." The ginger warrior meowed, flicking his tail and turning to Squirrelfur and whispered something in the tom's ear. The ginger tabby nodded and shoved Dustpaw to his paws, and flicked his tail for the two apprentices to do the same with Snowpaw. The two cats roughly hauled the white she-cat to her feet and shoved her in the direction of Dustpaw, who hissed as he was shoved forward as if he were a boulder being moved.

"This is where their trail stops." Snowpaw heard her father's voice not far off, in the direction of the boarder. Snowpaw looked at Dustpaw, who clearly heard the gray tom's distant voice too, but laid his tail over her mouth. Snowpaw relaxed slightly as she padded behind the EarthClan warrior and beside Dustpaw. She knew and hoped that with her Clanmate by her side, nothing bad would happen to her.

"Aspenpaw, go ahead and alert Bramblestar." Squirrelfur meowed as the apprentice twisted her face in disgust at the warrior's request. Looking toward her mentor, who only nodded, she sighed and trotted toward a barrier that reeked heavily of EarthClan.

"Bramblestar, we found more." The she-cat meowed to a dark tabby tom, who looked slightly like the she-cat. A ginger she-cat looked up from sharing tongues with the tom. She looked like she was going to scold Aspenpaw, as a mother would scold her disobedient kit, until she saw the FireClan apprentices.

"Well, well, is FireClan determined to lose all of its apprentices in one day?" The leader's cold voice meowed; glancing toward a bush where an elderly black she-cat was hurrying two apprentice sized brown tabbies deeper into the den. _Leafpaw, Spotpaw. _Snowpaw thought as the she-cat's mind processed the familiar figures.

"What should we do with them?" a silver tom, who Snowpaw guessed was Silverlilly based on the description Frostpaw had given her when he described the time the two had met in battle. "The Elder's Den can't hold all four of them and Blackcloud."

"They should see me first off." A silver she-cat mewed, only slightly smaller than the silver tom. "Silverlilly, you're not leader yet, remember that."

"You're not mother, Flashleaf." Silverlilly hissed, turning on the silver she-cat. The ginger she-cat who was watching beside the leader pressed her fur against the dark tabby's, her green eyes clearly frightened by the deputy's outburst toward the medicine cat.

"Take them to the Elder's den with the others." Bramblestar meowed, dismissing the many warriors who had gathered, drawn in by the scent of prisoners. "I'll decide what to do with them at sunset."

"Do you know how much danger you put us in?" Dustpaw hissed at a frightened Spotpaw, who was up against the wall of their prison. The tiny tabby nodded her head, to scared to reply to her brother.

"Dustpaw…"Snowpaw whispered, "Shut up…" the shush immediately shut up the older apprentice as low murmuring came from the next den. The elder, Blackcloud, was curled up in a corner opposite to Dustpaw.

"Bramblestar," a warrior called,

Careful not to wake the elder, Snowpaw moved softly to the entrance of the den, glancing though the opening. An EarthClan patrol had several good-sized warriors encircled along with a familiar kit-sized form near a dark gray one. _Frostpaw. _Snowpaw thought. Had a FireClan patrol accidently crossed the border and been caught as prisoners to? Snowpaw ducked behind the wall as a dark gray tom trotted toward the den, a ginger tom tailing him.

"Come on, lazy lumps of fur." The dark gray tom hissed, almost teasingly, picking up Spotpaw who was rooted to the spot as the other tom shoved Leafpaw out of the den. The brown tabby tom hissed, but didn't lash out at his captor, fear brimming in his amber eyes when he saw the patrol of FireClan warriors. Were they going to be slaughtered in front of their Clanmates? Watching the cats gather around her, she slightly brushed her white pelt against Dustpaw's tabby one. When her emerald crystals met his amber ones, the tabby tom pulled slightly ahead.

When they were on the territory boarder, watching the patrol consisting of the ginger tom, the dark gray tom, and Aspenpaw, disappear into their territory, Ringtail, Thunderwhisker, Icewhisker, and Frostclaw looked at the four apprentices. Frostpaw as standing next to Coalfur, silent and still as a rock, his eyes shining in dismay. "Coalfur," Ringtail meowed calmly at the younger warrior, "Take Frostpaw back to camp." Snowpaw watched as the young warrior's shoulders dropped as the deputy told him go back to camp.

"But," Coalfur began but immediately thought better of it. "Come on Frostpaw," he meowed to his apprentice, turning and padding back to camp with the small white apprentice.

When the two toms' scents became faint, Ringtail turned to the four remaining apprentices, glaring at Dustpaw for a long period. "I should expect better of all of you, especially Dustpaw." He hissed his amber eyes lit up in the fading sunlight.

"You had us worried," Icewhisker mewed, her voice quiet and blue eyes still shining with fright. "You should have told us that y o u were going to look for them." By 'them', Snowpaw knew that her mother meant the newer apprentices.

"They were my siblings." Dustpaw meowed, "Mousewhisker would have my tail if she knew I didn't go look for them." The tabby tom shrank back when his mentor turned to look at him. The normally calm deputy's eyes were burning into Dustpaw's, anger and fear reflecting in both toms eyes.

"Ringtail," Frostclaw meowed, her tone calm, her eyes brimming with…affection. "Why don't you let Russetstar handle the apprentices?"

"Alright Frostclaw, but Russetstar might be harsher than I would." The deputy sighed as he stepped back. "Get back to camp, all of you." Ringtail meowed.

"Snowpaw," Thunderwhisker's voice sounded, making the she-cat jump, she had forgotten her father was present. "Why did you follow Dustpaw?" Snowpaw flinched when she looked into her father's amber eyes.

"He followed me actually. When we got to the boarder, he told me to go back, but I told him that I wouldn't go back unless he went with me. "The she-cat meowed, as her father walked beside her. "It's my fault we go caught."

"It's not your fault, "he meowed, softly, cuffing her over the ears. "You're just being a mousebrain."

"Bring them in, Ringtail." Russetstar's meow sounded from deep inside her cave.

"Go on," Ringtail meowed, following the four apprentices into the den. It smelled richly of fresh-kill. Squinting her green eyes, she could slightly see her leader's ginger form laying in her nest.

"Go ahead, eat." The leader meowed, eyeing the apprentices as they noticed the two mice in front of them. Looking at the deputy, who nodded, the four apprentices sat down, tearing into the fresh-kill. When they had finished, Russetstar looked at Ringtail, whose tail was wrapped neatly around his paws. "I heard you four had quite an adventure today." Russetstar mewed, sounding half amused.

"Yes, we did, Russetstar." Spotpaw squeaked, but unfortunately looked at her older brother who was glaring at the she-cat.

"You know what you've done." Russetstar meowed, "and you know what the punishment is." The older apprentices nodded, but the two siblings just stared at the leader in fear. _I wonder if they think Russetstar is going to banish them._ Snowpaw thought humorously.

"Before Russetstar decides on the punishment," Ringtail meowed, his tail slightly lashing. "You can have a chance to explain yourselves."

"We just wanted a little adventure." Leafpaw meowed, his meow highly pitched. "Our mentors were just standing there, and not paying attention, so we decided to go explore. We didn't know we had crossed the border until we were caught by a patrol. "

"I saw Spotpaw and Leafpaw wander off, so I followed them, and Dustpaw followed me." Snowpaw meowed, glancing at the tom. "When we crossed the border, he told me to go back but I said I wouldn't let him go alone."

"Well," Russetstar said softly flicking her tail in thought. "I'm pleased that you told what I'd hope to be the truth, but I can't say that the truth won't go unpunished. EarthClan won't be very happy if you're at the next Gathering. Ringtail, what do you think?" the leader looked at her deputy, her green eyes sparkling in the shadows. "You four are dismissed."


	10. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Frostpaw watched as Snowpaw padded down from the Highledge. "Well," he said, trotting over to his sister. "What did she say?"

"She said we couldn't go to the next Gathering." His sister meowed, her head low.

"You're lucky." Coldpaw's meow sounded behind the two. "They won't even let me out of the camp to help Cinderleaf find herbs." While he spoke, Frostpaw just shook his head. "What?" Coldpaw asked, looking at his brother.

"You need to stop getting into trouble." Frostpaw meowed, "How else are we going to become warriors?" Frostpaw shook himself furiously.

"Snowpaw," Ringtail called from across the clearing. The white she-cat stood up and bounded over to where Dustpaw was sitting next to his mentor, his siblings were next to him, their heads low.

"I feel bad for her." Sandpaw meowed, coming out of the apprentices den to stand beside Frostpaw. "She'll be confined to the camp for at least a moon, and forced to help Cinderleaf and Sparkpaw with collecting herbs." The pale ginger she-cat stretched, yawning as she did so. "I'm going to sleep." She meowed, disappearing into the den.

"How long is it till the next Gathering?" Coldpaw meowed, glancing at the sky where only a small sliver of the moon rested

"How should I know, I'm not a medicine cat." Frostpaw hissed, frustrated. His brother was acting rather calm, while he had developed a temper over the past few sunrises.

"Frostpaw," Sparkpaw mewed, bounding toward him, his pelt ruffled. "Cinderleaf wants to see you."

"Why?" Frostpaw meowed coolly, padding after the medicine cat apprentice. _What could she want with me? She doesn't know about the prophecy, does she? _The white apprentice asked himself as he entered the dark den. A patch of faint moonlight rested beside a crack in the den.

"What do you want Cinderleaf?" Frostpaw mewed as the gray medicine cat stepped into the shaft of moonlight, her fur glittering like a cat from StarClan.

"Can you take some herbs to Mistywind?" The dark gray she-cat asked. "Sparkpaw is busy sorting herbs, and I need to keep an eye on Tigerfoot." As she said this, the dark gray medicine cat flicked her tail tip at a dark mass covered in cobwebs that Frostpaw had not realized was there before.

"What happened to him?" Frostpaw asked, sighing as he picked up the herbs.

"He was attacked by a fox," Sparkpaw meowed, not looking up from the herb piles until he heard Tigerfoot shift in his nest.

"Is Graypaw okay?" the tabby asked, his amber eyes flickering in the shadows. Frostpaw could hear the senior warrior's tail swishing slowly, brushing the nest.

"He's fine, but you won't be if you don't get sleep." Cinderleaf hissed. Taking it as a signal to leave, Frostpaw left the warm den, into the cold leaf-fall air the herbs clasped tightly in his jaws. He heard a nightingale call from somewhere in the forest.

"Frostpaw," a cat called, the voice sounded like a tom, but Frostpaw just pressed on toward the nursery. "Frostpaw, need any help?" The voice was much closer now, and it belonged to Moonpaw, his silver pelt looked like he was a StarClan cat.

"No," Frostpaw growled through the herbs, but the silver tom kept meowing.

"Why are you going over that way anyway?" he inquired. "And you should be asleep, not out here?"

"I'm taking these to Mistywind because Sparkpaw and Cinderleaf are busy." Frostpaw hissed, dropping the leaves. "And shouldn't you be sleeping instead of bothering me?" When he finished, he yawned, in agreement with the older apprentice.

"Whatever." Moonpaw said padding over to the halfrock to bask in the sliver of moonlight as Frostpaw picked up the herbs to his aunt.

_Show off._ He thought, dipping his head to enter the nursery. Carefully navigating toward the gray she-cat, he almost tripped on Nightwind's tail, which blended in with the fading light. He heard her kits stir in their sleep, as Runningkit sneezed.

"Are those for me?" Mistywind's soft, quiet voice said, as Frostpaw noticed the she-cat's blue tinted eyes blinking at him in the darkness. Frostpaw noticed a black mass that stirred when the queen spoke.

"Yeah, Cinderleaf wanted me to take you to them since Sparkpaw was busy." The white tom set the herbs down in front of the queen. As she picked them up, he noticed a pair of amber eyes staring sleepily at him.

"Frostpaw?" the voice of the mass meowed. "What are you doing here? You should be sleeping"

"So should you." Frostpaw meowed, suddenly realizing that he had just talked back to a senior warrior.

"He's right," Mistywind agreed, "If she found you in here when she wakes up, she'll have your pelt."

Frostpaw groggily got to his paws. He had finally managed to talk Darkcloud into sleeping in the warriors den, but not without Mistywind's help. Looking around, he noticed that he was the first apprentice awake, although the birds were fully awake and twittering.

"Frostpaw," Coalfur's yowl came from the center of camp. Wobbling slightly, Frostpaw padded out of the den, blinking in the bright morning light. "Frostpaw, get a piece of prey to eat, then meet me and Hawkflight in the training hollow with your brother."

"Coldpaw," Frostpaw said, his breath brushing his brother's ear fur."Coldpaw, wake up."

"What?" Coldpaw asked, batting Frostpaw's nose blindly. Watching his brother slowly open one of his sapphire blue crystals, the bigger tom growled. "Let me sleep, Frostpaw. I still have a half of a moon to go until I can go hunting with a patrol." He growled, clearly assuming that he was needed on a hunting patrol. "I would rather stuff my head down a rabbit hole than be on patrol with you."

"Fine, be that way," Frostpaw mewed innocently, carefully stepping over Roughpaw's tail as he exited the den. "Don't blame me if Hawkflight is mad at you for being late to training."

"Hello, Frostpaw." Sandpaw said sweetly as the white apprentice approached the fresh-kill pile.

"Hi Sandpaw." Frostpaw meowed, grabbing a scrawny vole from the pile. The hollow walls radiated the weak heat off the walls, warming the stones. "Are you training today?"

"Nope, Darkcloud's spending more time with Mistywind, since she is going to have her kits any day now." The pale ginger she-cat meowed, sinking her teeth into a small thrush, spitting out the feathers.

"Maybe you can train with Coldpaw and me." The tom suggested spotting his mentor talking with a tortoiseshell she-cat and a tabby tom whose ears had clearly been shredded in battle. "Let's ask Coalfur." He got to his paws, licking the remains of his vole away from the corners of his jaw.

"Frostpaw," Coalfur's voice met the apprentice's ears as he bounded over to his mentor, Sandpaw at his heels. "Are you ready? Where's your brother?"

"Coldpaw's still sleeping." Frostpaw meowed. "Can Sandpaw train with us instead?"

"I don't know…" Coalfur's mew was uneasy, clearly unsure of taking out another warrior's apprentice. The sleek pelted warrior looked to the tortoiseshell she-cat for advice. "Moss-streak?"

"Go ask Darkcloud." The tortoiseshell she-cat meowed to Sandpaw. "I'll come with you. I've been meaning to talk to him about something."

Frostpaw watched as the two she-cats trotted toward a mass of gray and black. "Are we going to go hunting?" the apprentice asked, breaking the silence between him and his mentor like a twig.

"If your brother doesn't join us soon." Coalfur meowed, as Sandpaw raced toward them, almost crashing into Frostpaw.

"Sandpaw, try crouching before you roll." Coalfur meowed, his amber eyes wide with disbelief. Coldpaw had already pinned the older she-cat twice. Frostpaw watched as his brother leapt at the she-cat, as she ducked, sending him over her head. Not hesitating, the she-cat turned, lashing out at the young tom with her white front paw. Hissing, the apprentices rolled in the dust, turning Coldpaw's white pelt into the shade of Dustpaw's.

"Finally." Moss-streak meowed, her amber eyes glittering with relief. The warrior joined the two apprentices with Hawkflight and Coldpaw not too long ago. Taking Sandpaw aside, she motioned Frostpaw to enter the hollow. "Go ahead." She meowed intently.

"Remember, no claws, no wounds." Coalfur meowed, slapping his tail against the dirt signaling the two brothers to start.

Coldpaw leapt first, but Frostpaw quickly dodged to the side and ducked as his brother flew over his head, but the larger tom's paw swiftly drew over Frostpaw's ear as he flew over. Spinning, Frostpaw lashed out at his brother with his forepaw, as Sandpaw had done, but the small white tom smashed it on his brother's skull softly. Growling lowly, Coldpaw effortlessly flipped Frostpaw onto his back. Using what little strength he had compared to his brother, Frostpaw rolled slightly, turning as he stood so he could score his claws across the larger tom's flank or shoulder.

"Come on Frostpaw." Sandpaw mewed from beside Moss-streak. Leaping, Frostpaw landed neatly on his brother's back, nipping his neck fur but Coldpaw flipped, sending Frostpaw on his back and put a paw on his throat before the small apprentice could roll onto his stomach.

"Well done, both of you." Hawkflight meowed deeply. "Coldpaw, back to camp. You two can hunt for a while, if your mentors agree." Without looking at the other warriors, Hawkflight escorted Coldpaw toward the stone hollow.

"Catch a bit of prey, but be aware that Stone could still be in our territory." Moss-streak meowed, dismissing the apprentices.

"What's the big deal about Stone?" Frostpaw asked Sandpaw when the warriors were out of earshot.

"Apparently, he was a FireClan cat at one time, and his mother died giving birth to him, so Hawkflight's mother raised him. But when he became a warrior, the leader exiled him." Sandpaw meowed, dropping into a hunting crouch.

_I wonder if I can find anything worth catching… _Frostpaw thought. Scenting the air around him, he scented EarthClan, vole, and a squirrel. Deciding to track the vole than risk his life catching a squirrel. After a while, the tom found the small creature nibbling on a seed. Tensing his muscles, he pounced, killing it barely in time for it not to alert the forest that the two apprentices were hunting. Scuffing dirt over his kill, he scented the air again, which now reeked of a trace of EarthClan, but more of mice and thrush. Seeing two thrushes pecking at the ground, Frostpaw started forward, only to be startled as the birds flew off, startled by a movement. Diving into a nearby bramble bush, the white apprentice held his breath as the scent of EarthClan grew closer and closer.

"Hush, Fox..." One voice said, to quiet to identify who it was.

"Why should I? It's not like any patrols are out here, unless you're setting me up." Another voice meowed tightly.

"Of course not. I told Reedclaw that I would go hunting and would check the border." The first voice said. It was clearly a FireClan cat, since Frostpaw didn't know any other Reedclaw in the Clans. "Why do you need me anyway? You sounded desperate last sunrise, what's your problem."

"I need to get rid of Shadowpaw." The second voice hissed the name. "As soon as he becomes a warrior, Bramblestar is going to make Silverlilly disappear and make him deputy and give him an apprentice. "

"Calm down. Do you think you can talk Bramblestar about…?" first voice meowed again, but hushing the end of its sentence as if the trees had ears and the voice knew Frostpaw was in the bramble.

"Of course I can. He thinks I'm his son, although he hates me, he'll listen to me." The second voice said before it yelped, tripping in a mouse hole.

"Hush mousebrain." The first voice hissed quietly, spitting out the last word.

"Sorry, but we had to meet on your territory."

"I couldn't risk being seen wandering into another Clan's territory, and I didn't know if I would be alone."

"Well, maybe we could go to my territory, where there isn't mouse holes to stumble in."

"Maybe, but you have to worry about patrols."

"True. What about that rouge, Stone?"

"What about him?" the first speaker had stopped right in front of Frostpaw, causing the white tom to back carefully farther into the brambles, the thorns tearing at his fur.

"Can't we use him to our advantage? Use him as cause for a battle?"

"Maybe, but he lives up on our northern border, and not even the senior warriors are allowed up passed the markers.

"I could talk to him."

"No, he'll take your tail. Why can't you just talk to Bramblestar? Say you saw another apprentice stealing prey."

"He'll want proof." The voice shifted on his paws.

The first voice growled over the sound of crunching leaves under his paws. "Give him prey from our side."

"He wouldn't go to war with Russetstar just because of one piece of prey."

"Just do whatever it takes. Your Clan should live up to its reputation…and not act like a bunch of lazy kittypets." The first voice hissed, stalking toward the bramble Frostpaw was hiding in, but swiftly veered in another direction.

"Mindless foxdung." The second voice hissed, turning toward the EarthClan border. "I'll show him that EarthClan are more than lazy kittypets."

Letting out a heavy breath, Frostpaw winced as he hauled himself out of the brambles. His white pelt was littered with small cuts and burrs from the bush. Collecting his prey, he padded toward the hollow.

"Frostpaw," Snowpaw mewed to her brother as she looked up from her mouse she was sharing with Coldpaw. "What happened to you?"

"I got stuck in a bramble." Frostpaw lied, stetting down his catch.

"You should go see Cinderleaf." Coldpaw meowed flatly, looking over toward two ginger shaped by the halfrock.


	11. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

A cold wind whistled outside the empty apprentice's den, but to Coldpaw's enjoyment, it was nice and warm inside. Stretching out to cover both his and Snowpaw's nests, he listened to the light rain. Despite the rain, Cinderleaf and Sparkpaw had journeyed to the Moonpool, accompanied by the moonhigh hunting patrol.

"Coldpaw," Spotpaw meowed as she entered with Flarepaw on her heels "Have you seen Leafpaw at all?"

"He was on the moonhigh patrol the last time with Icewhisker last time I saw him. Why?" Coldpaw yawned. He knew he had to get up early for training with Hawkflight in the morning, but the younger apprentices weren't much help.

"Mousewhisker wanted to talk to him and Dustpaw. She said it was important." Spotpaw mewed, curling up in her nest, next to Flarepaw and her brother's empty nest.

Curling up, Coldpaw heard Roughpaw and Frostpaw pad in. Roughpaw smelt strongly of EarthClan, but he was hunting by the EarthClan border last time he herd.

As sleep washed over him, the reek of blood washed over him to. Opening his eyes, he awoke in a cavern; he could scent AirClan and FireClan from tunnels nearby. Looking around he noticed a dark gray shape in the corner. Padding over, he rolled the figure onto its side, gasping when he looked into the cats lifeless blue eyes. It was Shadowpaw.

"Don't worry," a voice said from a tunnel. "He isn't really dead, yet."

"What do you mean, yet?" Coldpaw hissed spinning around to face the voice. Seeing glittering amber eyes, the tom gasped. "Tigerstar." He hissed.

"Look in his eyes." The tabby meowed calmly.

Looking into his friends eyes, he saw himself in the thick of battle. Shadowpaw had came up to help a light brown tom that was under Coldpaw. Clearly blindsided in rage, the white tom leapt at his friend, about to slice his throat with a quick swipe, but the tom's eyes went blank as a warm wind swept into the cave. Looking up, Coldpaw saw a white she-cat, whose fur glittered with stars. _A StarClan cat._ He thought.

"Leave him alone Tigerstar." She hissed, fluffing her fur out and drawing herself to her full height

"Make me, apprentice." The massive tabby tom hissed, unsheathing his claws. "You may be dead, but I can still hurt you.

"Cloudpaw," Coldpaw meowed, recognizing his sister. "What are you doing here?"

"Come with me, Coldpaw." Cloudpaw meowed, disappearing into one of the tunnels. Following her, he bounded after the she-cat's silvery white tail-tip.

"What do you think you are doing?" she hissed when they had emerged into a forest that glimmered in starshine. A white paw cuffed his ear, hard. "Tigerstar could have killed you."

"A…a…am I going to kill Shadowpaw?" he stammered, the pain of his ear fading briefly.

"No, not if you stay out of trouble." The white she-cat meowed._ "Shadows will fade from the forest, as the oak grows taller, and the swift cold will uncover the buried." _

"Is that supposed to be prophetic or something?"Coldpaw asked as his sister faded and a distant voice called his name.

"Coldpaw, you mousebrain." Dustpaw hissed, opening an amber eye. "You were whimpering in your sleep like a lost kit."

"Sorry," Coldpaw growled, covering his nose with his tail. "Couldn't you just sleep in the rain if you didn't want to be disturbed?" Coldpaw hissed under his breath, standing up and shaking moss from his pelt.

"Morning sleepy head." Snowpaw meowed, looking up from a vole. "Hawkflight was looking for you a minute ago, saying that if you sleep any longer, that the prey will beat you out of their dens. Rolling his eyes, Coldpaw grabbed a scrawny mouse as an ear-piercing squeak erupted from behind him.

"EarthClan prey thief." A kit yowled, tackling Coldpaw to the ground. Flipping onto his back, he saw a black tomkit, batting his paws clumsily around, his gray tabby stripes covered in dust. He felt a nip at his tail.

"Not bad, Blackkit," a she-cat meowed lightly. "Runningkit, try raking his belly with your hind paws while you hold him down." Coldpaw looked away from the kit and toward the nursery and the voice. Flameheart was sitting there, sharing tongues with Fireflower, watching the kits scuffle with the apprentice. Growling lightly, Coldpaw rolled onto his paws, shaking the dust from his pelt.

"Hey." Snowpaw hissed, spitting out something. "Go shake your pelt somewhere else, but not on my prey."

"Sorry." Coldpaw hissed, grabbing the mouse and setting it down on the halfrock. "Not." He muttered when his sister was out of hearing range.

"Coldpaw?" a questioning voice said, near his ear as he finished his mouse, barley settling his hunger.

"What?" he hissed sharply. Glancing up toward the voice, he saw Redcloud, looking taken aback and his blue eyes questioning. "Sorry," the white tom apologized, "I thought you were Snowpaw for a heartbeat."

"It's okay, "his former denmate meowed, batting him playfully on the ear. "I was wondering if you wanted to come on a hunting patrol with me and Flameheart."

"Did you ask Hawkflight already?" Coldpaw asked, knowing that his mentor would confine him again if he went out without his knowledge.

"Already done." Redcloud meowed as he padded toward his sister and mother, with the white apprentice on his heels.

"Hi, Coldpaw." Fireflower meowed as he caught up with the young warrior. The early leaf-fall clearly didn't dull the young queen's vibrant blue eyes.

"Coldpaw, are you ready to have Nightwind's kits beat you again?" Flameheart purred teasingly as the apprentice scowled at her. Laughing, the she-cat flicked her white-tipped tail over his ear as she stood up. "Patrol?" she asked her brother, who nodded. "Who's leading?"

"Mousewhisker, wherever she is." Redcloud replied, as a small brown tabby she-cat left the warriors den.

"Ringtail says that I'm leading a hunting patrol, with three chattering apprentices." She meowed, heading toward the tunnel.

"Sometimes I wonder if she's as young as they say she is." Flameheart hissed in Coldpaw's ear.

"Hey, Coldpaw," Redcloud meowed as the three young cats left the camp and entered the forest. "What is with you and Snowpaw, you were pretty close as kits."

"She started padding after Dustpaw." Coldpaw meowed bluntly.

"It doesn't surprise me. She looks a lot like Cloudpaw, except Cloudpaw had blue eyes, not green." Flameheart meowed, as they caught up with Mousewhisker.

"I do believe that we are on a hunting patrol, and not a stroll through the forest." Mousewhisker's meow came as the young cats caught up with the warrior.

"Sorry, Mousewhisker." Flameheart mewed sweetly, scenting the air.

Coldpaw paused, keeping his eyes on a vole not even a foxlength away. Leaping hesitantly, the tom landed squarely above the vole, but he slipped leaving his right forepaw to hit the ground on the vole's skull.

"That was graceful." Redcloud's meow said from behind him.

"Do you think the elders will mind?" Coldpaw asked, picking up the vole and tracing his steps back to his thrush and mouse.

"Probably," Redcloud meowed, pausing to check the border. "But I don't think that the queens or warriors would mind."

"Redcloud, Coldpaw, come on." Flameheart's meow sounded through the forest, not far off.

"You go ahead," Redcloud meowed, turning around. "I need to go collect my shrew and vole."

"Where's Redcloud going?" Mousewhisker meowed, coming through the bushes as Redcloud's white tail tip disappeared into the undergrowth.

"He's going to collect his prey." Coldpaw meowed, dropping the prey to speak.

"It's almost sunhigh," Flameheart observed, glancing at the sky. "We'd better get back to camp. "

_Anyone can see that, mousebrain. _Coldpaw thought, picking up his prey.

"Stupid mousebrain," Mousewhisker mumbled through a solitary mouse. "He better hurry back, because we're not waiting for him."

Padding back to camp, Coldpaw saw the sunhigh patrol leaving the hollow. He dipped his head to Rippedwind, Moonpaw, Reedclaw, and Fireflower. Rippedwind paused when he passed Mousewhisker, nuzzling her affectionately. The tabby she-cat licked the tom's ear, whispering something in his ear. When he nodded his head, the she-cat flicked his ear.

"What was that about?" Coldpaw asked Flameheart, when the patrol had passed and Flameheart had greeted her mother.

"They were probably talking about Dustpaw or Roughpaw." Flameheart mewed simply.

"Coldpaw," Snowpaw mewed, trotting over to her brother as he entered the camp. "Hawkflight and Russetstar were looking for you. She wants you in her den now." Spotting Dustpaw and Roughpaw by the apprentices den, he glared at the brothers, who only mocked him.

"Coldpaw, you're finally back." Russetstar's calm meow echoed slightly as he entered the den.

"I have discussed with Russetstar about your confinement." Hawkflight meowed calmly. "Seeing that you have clearly learned your lesson, if Ringtail tells me correct, you may leave camp if you wish, but not without being accompanied by a warrior."

"Isn't that against the warrior code anyway?" Coldpaw asked the obvious question.

"I see you learn your lessons well, young apprentice." Russetstar meowed with laughter. "You may leave now Coldpaw, you too, Hawkflight."

"Thank you, Russetstar." Coldpaw mewed, exiting the den and bounding carefully down the rocks.

"Coldpaw," Snowpaw meowed, approaching her brother again. "What did she say?"

"I'm not confined to camp anymore." He meowed happily. When he saw his sister's downcast look, he laid his tail on her shoulder. "You still have about a quarter moon left. It'll pass before you know it." When his sister's green eyes lit up slightly, he glanced at Dustpaw and Roughpaw, who were approaching quickly.

"You in the camp for another half-moon, Coldkit?" Roughpaw asked, his amber eyes begging for a fight.

"Do you have to clean out the elders den instead of pad after Flameheart or my sister?" Dustpaw meowed.

"Who said I liked them? Your mousebrained brother." Coldpaw retorted, unsheathed his claws. "If I remember right, I didn't go padding all the way into EarthClan territory to get them back, with _my_ sister."

"Dustpaw, seriously, leave him alone." Snowpaw meowed softly, her eyes pleading for the brown tabby tom to leave him alone.

"Fine," Dustpaw sighed, not giving up much of a fight. "Come on, Roughpaw, let's go find Reedclaw and Ringtail and see if they can take us to the training hollow."

"But Reedclaw's out on a patrol." Roughpaw meowed, his eyes clearly begging to stay and antagonize the white tom instead.

"Ringtail hasn't taken me out so I'm going." Dustpaw called over his shoulder as he padded toward the warriors den.

"Fine." Roughpaw hissed, following his brother, glaring at Snowpaw and Coldpaw.

"You okay?" Snowpaw asked when the two brothers had disappeared into the warriors den in search of the deputy.

"I'm fine, but why'd you stand up for me," Coldpaw hissed, recovering from the initial shock, "I could have taken both of them any day."

"Sure you could," Snowpaw meowed tartly, clearly taken aback from his hostile tone. "Just like you could take on me last time we trained together. They are older than you are, Coldpaw, and they're closer to being warriors. Get it through your head." The she-cat hissed, ducking into the apprentices den.

"Hey, Coldpaw," Frostpaw called from the entrance to the elders den. "Can you help me with the elders bedding?"

"Sure," Coldpaw muttered, padding toward his brother, dragging his paws. "Do you want me to get the new bedding?"

"What's wrong, Coldpaw?" One- ear meowed, his amber eyes glittering and pelt unusually well groomed. The elder was sharing a mouse with One-eye, who was watching Frostpaw move her nest.

"Nothing." Coldpaw meowed, grabbing Stumpfoot's nest and hauling it to the entrance of the den.

"I finally see the resemblance." One-ear purred. "Doesn't he remind you of his father at his age, One-eye?"

"Hmmm, oh yes, and as a kit." One-eye meowed, glancing at the black elder with her right eye. "Always fighting with Mistywind and Mousewhisker." The elder glanced at the apprentice as a loud snort came from beyond the pile of soiled moss.

"Since when did the elder's den have moss at the entrance?" a tom's growl came. "How am I supposed to get any sleep now?"

"Be patient, Stumpfoot." Tawnycloud's honey-sweet mew came.

"Move if you don't want to be covered by your dirt." Coldpaw growled as he pushed the moss out of the entrance and onto the side of the den, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Whatever happened to respect for your elders?" Stumpfoot meowed bitterly as he passed the white apprentice.

"Leave him alone, Stumpfoot." One-ear meowed from inside the den, "You remember how Coalfur was when he was an apprentice." With Coldpaw could hear some shifting in the den as the black elder left the den, winching slightly.

"Where are you going?" Coldpaw meowed, as the tom headed toward the thorn tunnel.

"Same place you are, to get moss."

"But aren't you supposed to stay in camp?"

"Yes, but you're coming with me, aren't you. Besides, I could use a good stretch and hunt."

"Wouldn't Russetstar get mad?"

"So many questions…" the elder paused "Russetstar would be going against her better judgment. Even she wouldn't argue with the elders, and I'm not as old as you think, I only retired because of my ear. "

"What happened to your ear?" Spotpaw's mew asked as she padded toward the two toms.

"I lost my hearing in my left ear, but my right works better than it did before. Your father, Spotpaw, was my apprentice at the time."

"Spotpaw go back to camp before Russetstar notices you're gone." Coldpaw growled, as he turned toward the lake.

When the toms had returned from the camp with wads of moss and a vole One-ear had caught, the two brothers settled in the elders den, along with Blackkit and Runningkit for a story.

"Is Coldkit waiting for the elders to tell him a story?" Roughpaw asked as he entered with a vole with a flattened head for the elders.

"Drop it, Roughpaw." Coldpaw hissed, forcing his neck fur to lie flat.

"Perhaps you'd like to hear this story too, Roughpaw." Tawnycloud meowed, glancing at the other three elders, who nodded.

"I think I'm a little too old for stories. Besides, I've heard them all." Roughpaw meowed arrogantly.

"I wouldn't be so sure; this one is one that we hardly remember."One-ear meowed. His eyes lighting up, Roughpaw lied down next to Leafpaw, who was close to Tawnycloud.

"Where should we start?" One-ear meowed, as if he hadn't thought about where his tale would begin.

"It was a time when war and bloodshed was a task that was carried out daily." One-eye meowed softly, her blue eye drifting into a mist as a memory overwhelmed her.


End file.
